.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 in between 6 to 8 weeks to recuperate from a shoulder accident he went through previously this month, the crew said Thursday.Hughes experienced a left shoulder injury during offseason instruction. After being examined due to the Devils' health care team, it was calculated he would certainly certainly not require surgery which it can take more than six weeks for him to recover.That timetable means Hughes will miss out on the Devils' 7 preseason games as well as their season-opening games on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could return would be the week of Oct. twenty, which indicates the Devils would possess actually played eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a quick period comes after he utilized his newbie initiative to bolster why he's thought about some of the game's brightest younger superstars. Hughes completed last time along with 6 targets as well as 47 aspects while also being one of five Adversaries to play in each 82 games.What Hughes completed as a newbie brought about him finishing third in Calder Prize voting responsible for the eventual champion, Chicago Blackhawks facility Connor Bedard, as well as Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and Faber were actually the only novice defensemen who participated in all 82 games final period. They were additionally tied for second one of novices in points with Bedard leading the game's first-year players with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually cleared to return, he is actually assumed to be a critical component of the Devils' strategies to come back to the playoffs. Hughes, who was actually the fourth choice of the 2021 NHL Draught, invested pair of years cultivating at the College of Michigan, which likewise made his sibling Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader that is likewise the reigning Norris Trophy champion for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after 2 periods and also signed his entry-level arrangement along with the Devils. It enabled him to join his sibling as well as Adversaries alternating leader, Jack, for the crew's playoff operate throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils gained 52 activities during the course of the 2022-23 period and accelerated to the playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. They opened up with a first-round victory over the rivalrous Nyc Rangers in 7 activities just before losing in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time viewed the Devils battle to find uniformity and also miss the playoffs. It led to them parting techniques with crown train Lindy Ruff and employing interim coach Travis Green prior to they then tapped the services of former Toronto Walnut Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in old Might.