.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is actually an NHL press reporter for ESPN.New Jacket Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will certainly need to have between six to 8 weeks to recuperate from a shoulder personal injury he went through earlier this month, the crew mentioned Thursday.Hughes experienced a remaining shoulder accident in the course of offseason instruction. After being analyzed due to the Devils' clinical team, it was actually calculated he would certainly not require surgical operation which it might take greater than six weeks for him to recover.That timetable implies Hughes would certainly overlook the Devils' 7 preseason video games and also their season-opening video games on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he can return would certainly be the full week of Oct. 20, which suggests the Devils will have currently participated in eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a quick period happens after he utilized his newbie campaign to strengthen why he's thought about one of the game's brightest younger superstars. Hughes completed final period along with six goals and also 47 aspects while additionally being just one of five Adversaries to play in every 82 games.What Hughes accomplished as a rookie resulted in him ending up 3rd in Calder Trophy voting behind the possible champion, Chicago Blackhawks facility Connor Bedard, and also Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes as well as Faber were actually the only newbie defensemen who played all 82 activities last season. They were actually likewise matched for second among newbies in points along with Bedard leading the league's first-year gamers along with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually gotten rid of to come back, he is actually assumed to become an essential part of the Devils' programs to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, who was the fourth choice of the 2021 NHL Draught, invested pair of years creating at the College of Michigan, which likewise made his brother Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks captain that is also the ruling Norris Trophy champion for the NHL's greatest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after pair of periods and signed his entry-level deal with the Devils. It permitted him to join his bro and Adversaries alternating captain, Jack, for the group's playoff operate throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils won 52 games during the course of the 2022-23 season and evolved to the playoffs for the very first time in 4 periods. They opened with a first-round victory over the competing Nyc Rangers in seven activities prior to losing in the second sphere versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time found the Devils problem to find consistency and also miss out on the playoffs. It caused all of them parting techniques along with head coach Lindy Ruff and hiring interim coach Travis Green prior to they then worked with past Toronto Walnut Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe in late May.