Devils Double Dose of All-Stars | 10 TAKEAWAYS

Well, that was fun!

Even though Team Hughes didn't make it to the final of the 3-on-3 tournament at the NHL All-Star Game, there is still plenty to celebrate now that the marquee event is all wrapped up! Only a few short days before the event began, Jesper Bratt was named to the All-Star roster, with Jack Hughes unable to play. 

That meant a double dose of Devils for fans, with both players in attendance in Toronto. 

“Obviously with our business how it works, with what unfortuantely happened to Jack, it’s a tough thing in the business that sometimes happens," Bratt expressed on Media Day, "Obviously I’m very, very happy and very proud to have the chance to be here and experience this.”

Let's take a journey through the past few days in this special edition of 10 Takeaways, presented by Ticketmaster!

1. 

If Jack wasn't going to be able to play, there was no finer replacement to participate than Jesper Bratt. He has put a string of seasons together where he seemingly gets better each year with this current season being no different. Needing a replacement because Hughes was unable to play, having Bratt represent the Devils was a no-brainer. Bratt, as it happened, got the best of both worlds, he had a brief vacation with his partner and his teammates and then shipped up to Toronto to represent his team. 

2. 

Not that it was ever in doubt, but loved how Jack just took the immediate lead in drafting his teammate at the All-Star Draft on Thursday night. No consultation was necessary, if Quinn was taking all his teammates, so was Jack.

3. 

Bratt's biggest relief might have been that he didn't go in the sixth round of the All-Star Draft like his actual NHL Draft. He was selected in the sixth round, 162nd overall in the 2016 draft... but not this time! He gave his teammate a little nudge, don't leave him hanging! 

"I tried to give (Jack) a little heads up," he said before the All-Star Draft, "I said ‘Hey, I’m not sure I want to be like my first ever draft experience, to wait that long’, so I said, ‘If you see me there in the crowd, please pick me.’”

4.

So where was Jack while Team Hughes was on the ice? Well, Jack was already back in New Jersey after his couple of days attending the All-Star Game festivities, so that he could continue preparing to return to play.

Jack mentioned earlier in the week that he was 'really close' to a return, saying "Hopefully I can come out of the break here and feel good, finish the year really strong", so he ventured back home to continue his recovery with the Devils Athlete Care staff. He hasn't played since Jan. 5 against Chicago, but it sure sounds like his return is on the close horizon.

5. 

Blink and you may have missed it, but Michael Bublé wasn't the only big star behind the Team Hughes bench coaching Bratt. The Great One, Wayne Gretzky snuck on there as well. That's some serious star power.

6.

Who was Bratt looking most forward to seeing and potentially playing with? Well, a lot of people. But the first person that came to mind also plays in the Metropolitan Division.

“There’s so much talent here, so many great players, obviously for a guy like me, growing up, playing with Sidney Crosby is going to be pretty special (…) the talent is sky-high here.”

That was before the draft, so Bratt didn't end up getting to play alongside Crosby, but he did get to play with a good friend, who plays all the way on the West Coast.

That would be one of the five Swedes at the All-Star Game, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks.

"Me and Pettey played together, we’re the same age group," Bratt said, "We’ve played together at World Juniors and tournaments like that, through the junior ages in the National team, it’s going to be great to spend a little time with him here. William Nylander too, good friend of him, I see him a lot in the summer, it’s going to be awesome. Just a lot of great guys I’m looking forward to playing with.”

7.

Does it count? Is Jesper now the third player in the NHL to have played with all three Hughes brothers? The first was Curtis Lazar (save that one for your next trivia night) and then it was Tyler Toffoli, who played in 10 games with the Canucks in 2020, so, does Jesper count now that he was teammates with Quinn at the All-Star Game?

Whatever you decide is fine but Bratt does have the added insight now as to how the Hughes brothers compare and contrast as teammates.

The first thing you notice is, it’s pretty easy to see, their skating. Their skating ability, their quickness, their smoothness. When you look at Quinn and Luke compared to Jack you can see that their stride is a little bit more powerful, a little longer stride. Jack is more about quickness, and agility and being quick and fast and reading plays out there. Other than that they’re pretty similar."

8.

Jack and Jesper weren't the only ones at the All-Star weekend representing the New Jersey Devils. Director of Player Development Meghan Duggan served as a coach during the PWHL's 3-on-3 Showcase.

Duggan, who is a mom of three, including two young daughters, brought her kids to the morning skate before stepping behind the bench. Megan and her wife Gillian Abbs both have all kinds of hockey accolades, awards and medals of their own, but seeing this professional league come to fruition and be a part of it in some way was a meaningful moment for Duggan. 

"For me especially, having three kids at home, two of them young daughters, it’s exciting for me," she said. "I brought them to the morning skate this morning. For them to see these women play and know that’s something they can do … as a mom of young girls it’s amazing that women have this opportunity now.”

9.

Make sure you check out our All-Star Photo Gallery with some of the best photos from the last few days! 

10.

With the festivities wrapped up, it will be back to business for the Devils. Their next game is on Tuesday night, hosting Miles Wood and the Colorado Avalanche. Bratt was asked about the remainder of the season and what was to come for the team. The Devils currently sit seven points out of a Wild Card spot, with three games in hand on the Red Wings who hold the final WC spot. 

With the last week off, so many of the Devils' injured players will have had yet another week of recuperation, this time without having to miss games. An impending return like Jack's is going to help this team going forward.  

“First of all, we’re getting hopefully soon some of our guys back from injuries, that’s one part," Bratt said of the remainder of the year, "But it’s going to be up to us to start playing well defensively and get on a roll.”