New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes has been placed on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list after participating in the league’s All-Star festivities in Las Vegas.
The Devils announced the move on Sunday, a day after Hughes played for the Metropolitan Division. The 20-year-old Hughes has 12 goals and 15 assists in 28 games this season. He was selected by New Jersey with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft and signed a long-term extension with the club last year.
Hughes — whose brother, a defenseman named Luke, was drafted by the Devils last summer in the first round — has developed into the franchise player New Jersey was expecting when it drafted him. Anchoring the first line, he is second on the team in points, behind linemate Jesper Bratt (41 points), and has done so in just 28 games.
Any long-term absence will further hamper a struggling offense and team that has lost six in a row. New Jersey has just 126 goals in 45 games and comes out of the All-Star break in last place, three points behind the Philadelphia Flyers. The Devils’ next game is Monday night at Ottawa.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.