Explain your argument:Creating a strong team requires strategic decision-making and careful consideration of various factors. One crucial choice for a successful team is whether to build around talented players like Auston Matthews or Jack Hughes. These young athletes possess exceptional skills and potential, making them prime candidates for a team’s core. Considering their individual strengths and how they fit into the team dynamic, it is important to carefully weigh the pros and cons of each player before making a decision.

Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes are two of the most dynamic and thrilling American-born attackers in the NHL.

Hughes, who is 22 years old, currently has 24 goals this season. This is 19 goals less than his personal best of 43 goals in the NHL, which he achieved last season. As the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a native of Orlando, Florida, Hughes has accumulated a total of 276 points (111 goals and 165 assists) in 300 NHL games.

26-year-old Matthews currently holds the top spot in the NHL with 58 goals and has the potential to reach 60 goals for the second time during his career in the NHL. The Toronto Maple Leafs will have home ice advantage against the New Jersey Devils at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; TSN4, ESPN+, HULU), where Matthews, who was selected as the No. 1 pick by Toronto in the 2016 NHL Draft, will face off against Hughes. Matthews, who was born in Sam Ramon, California, and grew up in Arizona, has an impressive record of 634 points (357 goals, 277 assists) in 550 NHL games.

Both players are expected to secure a spot on the United States team for the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics. Assuming they remain injury-free, both Matthews and Hughes will participate in these events. The coaching staff will decide their roles, but the United States can rely on them and other talented players to lead the team.

Who would be your top pick for building a team if you had to do it now? That is the inquiry we asked NHL.com’s senior writer Dan Rosen and staff writer Tracey Myers in this installment of State Your Case.