VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It might have gone just as expected, but now the excitement is tangible.
The first two picks of the 2019 NHL draft on Friday night played out as so many expected they would. The Devils took American center Jack Hughes with the first-overall pick and the Rangers followed at No. 2 by taking Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko.
Both 18-year-olds are considered far and away the best players in this draft class, and now they will start their careers indelibly linked on opposite sides of the Hudson River.
Hughes is hoping to become the first player to go straight from the U.