.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is actually an NHL reporter for ESPN.New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will certainly need to have in between 6 to 8 weeks to recover from a shoulder trauma he experienced earlier this month, the team mentioned Thursday.Hughes endured a nigh side shoulder personal injury throughout offseason instruction. After being evaluated by the Devils' clinical staff, it was actually calculated he would certainly certainly not call for surgical operation and also it could possibly take more than six weeks for him to recover.That timeline suggests Hughes will miss out on the Devils' 7 preseason activities and also their season-opening activities on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he can come back would certainly be actually the week of Oct. 20, which indicates the Devils would possess presently participated in eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a brief time period follows he used his rookie project to reinforce why he is actually taken into consideration among the game's brightest younger superstars. Hughes ended up final season along with six goals and 47 factors while also being among 5 Adversaries to play with all 82 games.What Hughes accomplished as a rookie triggered him finishing 3rd in Calder Trophy voting behind the possible champion, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, as well as Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and Faber were the only novice defensemen who participated in all 82 games last time. They were also matched for 2nd amongst novices in factors along with Bedard leading the game's first-year gamers with 61 points.Once Hughes is removed to return, he is actually assumed to become an essential part of the Devils' strategies to return to the playoffs. Hughes, who was actually the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draft, invested 2 years creating at the Educational institution of Michigan, which also produced his sibling Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks captain who is actually also the reigning Norris Trophy winner for the NHL's ideal defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after two periods and authorized his entry-level deal along with the Devils. It allowed him to join his sibling as well as Evil ones alternating captain, Jack, for the group's playoff operate throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils won 52 activities in the course of the 2022-23 season as well as progressed to the playoffs for the very first time in four times. They opened up along with a first-round victory over the rival The big apple Rangers in 7 video games just before dropping in the second sphere versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last period viewed the Devils struggle to locate consistency and also miss the playoffs. It triggered all of them parting means along with crown trainer Lindy Ruff and also hiring acting trainer Travis Eco-friendly just before they then hired previous Toronto Walnut Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in old Might.