.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL press reporter for ESPN.New Jacket Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will require between six to eight weeks to recover from a shoulder injury he went through previously this month, the team claimed Thursday.Hughes endured a nigh side shoulder trauma in the course of offseason training. After being evaluated by the Devils' clinical team, it was determined he would certainly certainly not demand surgical treatment and that it could take much more than 6 full weeks for him to recover.That timetable means Hughes will miss the Devils' 7 preseason activities as well as their season-opening activities on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 against the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he might return would be actually the week of Oct. 20, which indicates the Devils will have currently played eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a quick time frame happens after he utilized his newbie project to enhance why he is actually considered among the video game's brightest young stars. Hughes finished final season with six objectives and 47 points while likewise being just one of 5 Evil ones to play in every 82 games.What Hughes completed as a rookie brought about him completing third in Calder Trophy voting responsible for the eventual winner, Chicago Blackhawks facility Connor Bedard, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and also Faber were the only novice defensemen that played all 82 video games last season. They were actually additionally tied for 2nd amongst rookies in factors with Bedard leading the league's first-year gamers with 61 points.Once Hughes is gotten rid of to come back, he is actually assumed to become an essential component of the Devils' plannings to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the fourth pick of the 2021 NHL Draught, spent two years establishing at the Educational institution of Michigan, which also produced his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader that is likewise the ruling Norris Prize victor for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left Michigan after 2 times as well as signed his entry-level contract along with the Devils. It allowed him to join his sibling and also Adversaries alternative captain, Jack, for the group's playoff operate during the course of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils won 52 activities throughout the 2022-23 period and also progressed to the playoffs for the very first time in 4 times. They opened along with a first-round victory over the competing New York Rangers in seven games before losing in the 2nd sphere against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last period found the Devils problem to discover congruity as well as overlook the playoffs. It resulted in all of them parting ways with head coach Lindy Ruff as well as choosing acting coach Travis Green before they after that hired past Toronto Maple Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in old May.