.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will definitely require in between 6 to eight weeks to recoup from a shoulder personal injury he endured earlier this month, the group stated Thursday.Hughes endured a nigh side shoulder personal injury in the course of offseason training. After being actually reviewed by the Devils' medical staff, it was actually identified he will certainly not demand surgery and also it can take more than six full weeks for him to recover.That timeline means Hughes will miss the Devils' seven preseason activities and their season-opening games on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he might return will be the week of Oct. 20, which indicates the Devils would have currently played eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a quick time period follows he used his newbie initiative to bolster why he is actually looked at among the game's brightest youthful celebrities. Hughes finished final time with six objectives and 47 points while additionally being among five Devils to play in each 82 games.What Hughes completed as a newbie led to him ending up 3rd in Calder Prize ballot behind the resulting winner, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, as well as Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and also Faber were the only rookie defensemen that played all 82 video games final period. They were actually likewise tied for second one of newbies in points along with Bedard leading the game's first-year gamers with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually gotten rid of to return, he is actually assumed to be a critical component of the Devils' plans to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, who was actually the 4th pick of the 2021 NHL Draught, spent two years cultivating at the College of Michigan, which also generated his sibling Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks captain that is actually also the ruling Norris Prize champion for the NHL's best defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after two times as well as signed his entry-level contract along with the Devils. It permitted him to join his brother and also Devils alternative captain, Port, for the team's playoff run in the course of the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils succeeded 52 activities in the course of the 2022-23 time and progressed to the playoffs for the very first time in 4 seasons. They opened with a first-round success over the rival The big apple Rangers in 7 activities just before dropping in the 2nd around versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last season saw the Devils struggle to find consistency and also miss out on the playoffs. It led to them parting ways with head train Lindy Ruff and also choosing interim instructor Travis Environment-friendly before they after that employed previous Toronto Maple Leafs instructor Sheldon Keefe in late May.