Devils center Jack Hughes will not be able to play in the NHL’s upcoming All-Star Game or Skills competition this weekend due to an upper-body injury, but will still attend the weekend’s events in Toronto.
Forward Jesper Bratt will replace Hughes in the All-Star Game, while Mathew Barzal will replace Hughes in the Skills challenge.
Bratt, 25, will be making his first All-Star Game appearance. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Swede leads the Devils with 31 assists, 50 points, six power-play goals and five game-winning goals. His 19 goals rank second on the club.
Bratt, who signed an eight-year contract extension with the team over the summer, is in his seventh season in the NHL with New Jersey. He’s totaled 121 goals, 205 assists and 326 points in 436 career games.
Bratt was drafted by the club in the sixth round (162nd overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft.
Hughes, who has been named to three All-Star Games in his career, has been out of the lineup since Jan. 5. The 22-year-old missed 10 games in the past three weeks.
Hughes and his older brother Quinn (Vancouver) are co-captains with Team Buble. The brothers will draft their team Thursday night.
