.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.New Jacket Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will certainly need in between six to 8 weeks to bounce back from a shoulder injury he endured earlier this month, the crew said Thursday.Hughes suffered a left side shoulder accident during the course of offseason instruction. After being actually analyzed due to the Devils' clinical staff, it was actually established he will not demand surgical procedure which it could possibly take greater than 6 weeks for him to recover.That timetable means Hughes would certainly skip the Devils' seven preseason games and also their season-opening games on Oct. 4 as well as Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he can come back would be actually the full week of Oct. 20, which suggests the Devils would certainly possess presently participated in 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a short time period happens after he utilized his rookie project to enhance why he's taken into consideration some of the game's brightest young superstars. Hughes ended up last season along with six targets as well as 47 factors while additionally being just one of five Adversaries to play in every 82 games.What Hughes completed as a newbie triggered him completing third in Calder Prize voting responsible for the eventual champion, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and also Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and also Faber were actually the only newbie defensemen that participated in all 82 activities final period. They were also tied for 2nd one of novices in factors along with Bedard leading the game's first-year players along with 61 points.Once Hughes is gotten rid of to return, he's anticipated to become a vital component of the Devils' plans to come back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, spent 2 years establishing at the University of Michigan, which additionally made his brother Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader who is also the ruling Norris Trophy champion for the NHL's best defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after 2 periods and signed his entry-level deal with the Devils. It allowed him to join his brother and also Adversaries alternate captain, Port, for the team's playoff run throughout the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils succeeded 52 activities in the course of the 2022-23 period as well as advanced to the playoffs for the very first time in four seasons. They opened up along with a first-round triumph over the rivalrous New York Rangers in 7 activities prior to losing in the 2nd around against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time observed the Devils struggle to locate consistency and also miss out on the playoffs. It brought about all of them parting means along with crown instructor Lindy Ruff as well as employing interim coach Travis Veggie before they after that tapped the services of former Toronto Maple Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in late Might.