Hughes has been injured a lot but it seems to be the same injuries, mainly upper-body and shoulder injuries. As a hockey player, being unable to use his stick is a major issue. With these injuries, Hughes has yet to play a full 82 games going into this seventh NHL season. Most of his injuries have been NHL related, but he has had some odd injuries, including his latest one that saw him slice his hand at a team function. Hughes has played 385 out of a possible 574 games. While he has missed a lot of time he has been productive when he has played, accumulating 151 goals and 220 assists for 371 points.
The 27-year-old has all the requisite hardware needed for the Hall of Fame (except a Stanley Cup) and has consistently shown his improvement across the board. He's blossomed into a reliable, two-way center and the captain of Team USA. So, why would Matthews fall in this year's NHL Network rankings for centers? In an August 24 appearance on NHL Network, analyst Mike Rupp unveiled his list of the NHL's top-10 centers. Topping the list are Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Leon Draisaitl.