.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is actually an NHL reporter for ESPN.New Shirt Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will certainly need in between 6 to 8 weeks to bounce back coming from a shoulder injury he endured previously this month, the crew pointed out Thursday.Hughes suffered a nigh side shoulder personal injury during the course of offseason training. After being evaluated due to the Devils' medical personnel, it was determined he would certainly not need surgical procedure and also it can take much more than 6 full weeks for him to recover.That timetable suggests Hughes would certainly skip the Devils' seven preseason video games and also their season-opening games on Oct. 4 as well as Oct. 5 against the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could possibly come back will be the week of Oct. twenty, which means the Devils would certainly possess presently played 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a short period happens after he used his newbie campaign to improve why he's taken into consideration some of the game's brightest youthful stars. Hughes finished final season with six objectives and also 47 factors while additionally being just one of 5 Evil ones to play in all 82 games.What Hughes performed as a rookie resulted in him ending up third in Calder Trophy ballot behind the resulting victor, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and Faber were the only novice defensemen that played all 82 activities final period. They were actually also tied for 2nd amongst novices in factors along with Bedard leading the game's first-year players along with 61 points.Once Hughes is cleared to return, he is actually expected to become an important component of the Devils' strategies to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, who was actually the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, devoted pair of years developing at the College of Michigan, which likewise made his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader that is likewise the reigning Norris Trophy victor for the NHL's greatest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after two periods as well as authorized his entry-level deal with the Devils. It allowed him to join his bro as well as Devils alternate leader, Port, for the team's playoff run during the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils gained 52 video games during the 2022-23 period and progressed to the playoffs for the very first time in four seasons. They opened with a first-round success over the competing The big apple Rangers in seven video games before losing in the second round versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time saw the Devils battle to locate uniformity and skip the playoffs. It brought about all of them parting methods along with head coach Lindy Ruff as well as hiring interim coach Travis Veggie just before they after that chose former Toronto Walnut Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in late Might.