"The level he's taken as a player has dramatically helped the Devils as well," said fellow All-Star and Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk. "He's the heartbeat of their team. It's been fun to watch him, see what he's doing this year. Of course, playing against him it's all business but he's made that team a whole lot better."
A day before making the trek to sunny Florida, Hughes was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for January. It was a fitting All-Star sendoff for No. 86 and indicative of the run he's had for New Jersey.
"I guess sometimes when you're just rolling, you're rolling," Hughes said.
What an understatement.
Hughes has lit the league ablaze of late, compiling 13 goals and 10 assists for 23 points during the month of January. That led the NHL. He had four multi-goal games and nine multi-point nights during the stretch.
"It was a pretty big month for me and I had a lot opportunities and pucks are going in for me," he said. "So that's a really good month for the team and a really good month for myself personally."
January has come and gone and with the turning of the page to February now, Hughes finds himself surrounded by the rest of the League's best.
"I'm really happy to be here," he said. "To represent the devils and represent myself as well, it's gonna be a lot of fun. I'm happy to be here."
But Hughes was quick to mention a few of his teammates, and one in particular, who could have easily been at that podium with him today, enjoying the sun, the sand, and the celebration.
"I mean, we had like four guys that definitely could be here. Dougie, Nico, Bratter, and Vitek. You know, especially Nico. He's had a tremendous year and there's just not enough spots. A lot of guys have had great years and don't make it. Nico falls in that category. We're on a really good team, and he's the guy driving the bus. So he definitely deserves to be here, but it is what it is."
While Hughes is flying solo this weekend, he knows it won't always be that way.
"I would love to be here with a teammate or two for sure," said Hughes. "You know, you see a bunch of teams here with two or three guys. I think we believe we have something special in New Jersey. And you know, we're hoping with that team success there is going to be a lot of individual success as well. So hopefully, there'll be multiple Devils at All-Star Games for a bunch of years to come."
As Hughes indicated, the Devils are a team on the rise with young, talented players. They'll get their day in the sun.
When you're rolling, you're rolling.
