New Jersey Devils
Devils Jack Hughes Reveals Preferred Team USA 4 Nations Face-Off Linemate
Playing alongside a plethora of talent at the 4 Nations Faceoff, Devils star Jack Hughes explains he would like to play with Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews.

Team USA’s 4 Nations Faceoff roster is absolutely stacked. And although it’s not his choice who he’ll line up next to when the puck drops in February, New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes reveals who he wants to play on a line with.
4 Nations Faceoff: Jack Hughes Named to USA, Canada Snubs Devils Star Defenseman
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan will be calling the shots for Team USA behind the bench. He has a bevy of talent to work with—in addition to Hughes—that includes names such as Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and Matthew Boldy.
However, among all that talent, the Devils superstar named Toronto Maple Leafs captain, Auston Matthews, as his line mate of choice.
“I’d obviously love to play with Matthews,” Hughes revealed one day after he was selected to Team USA. “Just seeing him and [Mitch] Marner do their thing, it’d be fun to play with a guy that can score 70 goals in the NHL. It’d be pretty fun. So, even if it’s a few games, that’s something I’m definitely looking forward to, you know, the possibility.”
Hughes even went as far to say he’d be open to moving over to the wing so that Matthews can stay at his natural center position.
It’s certainly an enticing thought to have a playmaker such as Jack Hughes line up next to a natural shooter in Matthews. In fact, it might even open up a whole new element of Hughes’ playmaking ability. The Devils’ superstar skates alongside fellow elite talent in Jesper Bratt (who was named to Team Sweden). However, Bratt is just as much of a playmaker as Hughes. Playing next to a shoot-first mentality player such as Matthews should certainly have coach Mike Sullivan salivating at the thought.
We see an example of what it could look like on a nightly basis, too. Matthews skating next to Marner with the Maple Leafs should give Sullivan a pretty good idea of how well that can work. After all, the Maple Leafs captain scored 69 goals in 81 games last season alongside Marner who collected 59 assists last season.
Further, Matthews’ 69 goal season is one of two 60-plus goal seasons and the Toronto forward hasn’t scored fewer than 40 goals in a season since the 2018-19 season when he potted 37.
Ultimately, the decision is on Sullivan. Perhaps he’ll be persuaded by the Devils star and general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Until then, Devils fans can daydream at the prospect of the idea.
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