Dispatching Hughes to play in the World Juniors would not be the worst thing for him or the Devils. What Hughes probably needs right now is a dose of positive vibes and playing for that team would undoubtedly accomplish that. The Americans have an outstanding team without Hughes in the lineup, one that is a legitimate favorite to win the tournament. Cole Caufield, with whom Hughes formed a two-man, record-setting wrecking crew for the U.S. development program last season, will be on the roster and there’s already some built-in chemistry there. Hughes would have the chance to dominate again against players his own age and there’s literally no downside to that.

If the Devils were to loan Hughes, he’d be out of the lineup for about a month, which would give the Devils some time to decide what to do with him upon his return.

-Ken Campbell of The Hockey News where you can read more on this topic.