The New Jersey Devils forward will be unable to join the NHL All-Star Game festivities due to an injury.
His Devils teammate Jesper Bratt was added to the All-Star roster on Wednesday. New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal will replace Hughes in the skills competition, which will take place Friday.
The league announced the change Wednesday, after executive Steve Mayer said earlier in the week that officials would wait until the “last possible second” to see if Hughes would be able to play.
Hughes should still be in Toronto, as co-captain of one of the all-star teams for the three-on-three tournament on Saturday.
That was the contingency plan the NHL had in place, as Mayer said Tuesday in a video conference with reporters that Hughes was still being evaluated and was still welcome at the festivities.
“We want to keep him as captain,” said Mayer, responsible for content for the league. We want him to be here in Toronto. »
Hughes has been out since leaving the Devils’ Jan. 5 game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper-body injury. During this same game, Blackhawks rookie forward Connor Bedard was also injured and he was replaced for All-Star weekend.
Hughes has been limited to 32 games this season due to injuries, although he still ranks second on his team in total points (45).
Bratt, a 25-year-old Swede, is selected to the all-star game for the first time in his career. He is the Devils’ leading scorer with 19 goals and 31 assists.