New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes won’t be participating in the NHL All-Star weekend festivities in Toronto due to an upper-body injury, according to an announcement from the league. As a result, Hughes is being replaced by Devils teammate Jesper Bratt in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game.
Despite not being able to take part in the skills competition and NHL All-Star Game, Hughes is still expected to be in attendance at Scotiabank Arena to co-captain Team Hughes with his brother, Quinn Hughes, of the Vancouver Canucks.
In addition, Hughes was also replaced in Friday’s brand-new skills competition by New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal. The skills competition will offer a grand prize of $1 million to the winner.
The 2024 NHL All-Star skills competition field will be David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Cale Makar (Avalanche), Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers), Connor McDavid (Oilers), Barzal (Islanders), Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning), Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), William Nylander (Maple Leafs), Quinn Hughes (Canucks), J.T. Miller (Canucks), and Elias Pettersson (Canucks).
Hughes has been out of the lineup since Jan. 5, when he fell while taking a hit into the board in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Devils star has record 45 points (15 goals, 30 assists) in just 32 games, despite being sidelined due to injury on two separate occasions.
Meanwhile, Bratt is in the midst of a stellar season with 50 points (19 goals, 31 assists), and leads the Devils in points (50), assists (31) and game-winning goals (five). This will be the first career All-Star appearance for Bratt.
