.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 require in between six to 8 weeks to recoup coming from a shoulder injury he went through previously this month, the group mentioned Thursday.Hughes endured a nigh side shoulder injury throughout offseason training. After being actually evaluated due to the Devils' clinical workers, it was actually identified he would certainly not demand surgery and also it can take more than 6 full weeks for him to recover.That timetable suggests Hughes would overlook the Devils' seven preseason activities and also their season-opening video games on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 against the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he might come back would certainly be the week of Oct. twenty, which means the Devils will have actually participated in eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a short duration follows he utilized his rookie initiative to bolster why he's thought about some of the game's brightest younger celebrities. Hughes finished final period along with 6 goals and 47 factors while likewise being one of 5 Devils to play with all 82 games.What Hughes completed as a rookie resulted in him finishing 3rd in Calder Trophy voting behind the eventual victor, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and also Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and Faber were actually the only novice defensemen that participated in all 82 activities final season. They were likewise tied for second among newbies in points with Bedard leading the league's first-year players along with 61 points.Once Hughes is cleared to return, he is actually expected to become a critical aspect of the Devils' plannings to return to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, spent two years creating at the College of Michigan, which likewise produced his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader who is additionally the ruling Norris Prize victor for the NHL's greatest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after two periods as well as authorized his entry-level deal along with the Devils. It enabled him to join his bro and also Evil ones alternate leader, Port, for the team's playoff run throughout the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils won 52 games during the course of the 2022-23 period and evolved to the playoffs for the very first time in four times. They opened up along with a first-round victory over the competing The big apple Rangers in 7 games before shedding in the second sphere versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time saw the Devils struggle to discover uniformity and skip the playoffs. It brought about all of them parting means along with crown train Lindy Ruff and hiring interim coach Travis Eco-friendly prior to they at that point hired previous Toronto Walnut Leafs instructor Sheldon Keefe in late May.