Devils' Fitzgerald: Sky's the limit for Hughes 'once he hits his maturity'

New Jersey Devils interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald isn't breaking a sweat after Jack Hughes didn't dominate as a rookie during the currently suspended 2019-20 season, but he's aware that there's plenty of room for improvement.

"He's going to be a fun player to watch," Fitzgerald said, according to NJ.com's Randy Miller. "With that being said, what does he need to work on? I think we all know what the audience is. He went from being on tour after being drafted to not having an NHL summer and now he has that time.

"All he has is time to get stronger, get bigger, get thicker, and get faster. The sky's the limit with this young gentleman once he hits his maturity."

New Jersey selected Hughes with the first overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old struggled to adjust to the NHL right away, though, registering just seven goals and 14 assists in 61 games while averaging 15:52 minutes of ice time per game.

Devils interim head coach Alain Nasreddine said earlier in April that Hughes' lack of size and strength is "basically what's holding him back" in the early stages of his pro career.

Fitzgerald said Hughes' numbers could have benefited from a few more fortunate bounces, but he added he was still impressed by what he saw during the young forward's debut season and believes Hughes will only improve as he gains muscle and NHL experience.

"I'm not saying (Hughes) underestimated the NHL by any means, but I don't know if you realize that he would be the first to admit - like he did to me - how good (NHL) defenseman defend ... their reach, their skating ability, how they close, how they take the time and space away," Fitzgerald said.

"I'm not sure that was something that he prepared himself for. That's one of the things he's learned. I think he's learned that it's a tough league for an 18-year-old, but with all that being said, I'm very proud of what he accomplished."