.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is actually an NHL media reporter for ESPN.New Jacket Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will definitely require between six to eight full weeks to recuperate from a shoulder personal injury he endured previously this month, the team said Thursday.Hughes endured a left side shoulder accident during offseason training. After being examined due to the Devils' medical team, it was calculated he would certainly not need surgical operation which it could take much more than six full weeks for him to recover.That timetable indicates Hughes would certainly miss the Devils' seven preseason games and also their season-opening games on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could return will be actually the week of Oct. 20, which implies the Devils would possess actually played 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a brief duration comes after he utilized his rookie campaign to strengthen why he is actually thought about some of the activity's brightest youthful superstars. Hughes ended up last season with six targets as well as 47 points while likewise being just one of five Adversaries to play in each 82 games.What Hughes performed as a novice resulted in him finishing third in Calder Prize ballot behind the resulting winner, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and also Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes as well as Faber were actually the only rookie defensemen that played all 82 games final time. They were also tied for second among newbies in factors along with Bedard leading the organization's first-year players with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually cleared to come back, he is actually anticipated to be a critical component of the Devils' programs to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the fourth pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, invested pair of years developing at the University of Michigan, which additionally produced his brother Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks captain that is additionally the ruling Norris Prize victor for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after pair of seasons as well as signed his entry-level agreement along with the Devils. It enabled him to join his sibling as well as Devils alternating captain, Port, for the team's playoff run throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils gained 52 games throughout the 2022-23 season and progressed to the playoffs for the very first time in 4 periods. They opened up with a first-round success over the rivalrous The big apple Rangers in seven activities prior to dropping in the second sphere versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time viewed the Devils problem to discover consistency as well as miss out on the playoffs. It brought about them parting methods with head trainer Lindy Ruff and employing acting coach Travis Eco-friendly prior to they after that worked with previous Toronto Walnut Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe in old Might.