.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL press reporter for ESPN.New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will certainly need between six to eight full weeks to recuperate coming from a shoulder trauma he endured earlier this month, the group claimed Thursday.Hughes endured a left side shoulder personal injury during offseason instruction. After being actually assessed due to the Devils' medical workers, it was established he would certainly certainly not need surgical treatment and also it could take greater than 6 weeks for him to recover.That timetable indicates 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 Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could come back will be the full week of Oct. 20, which suggests the Devils would certainly possess already participated in eight regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a short duration happens after he utilized his rookie campaign to strengthen why he's considered some of the video game's brightest younger stars. Hughes finished last season with six objectives and also 47 factors while likewise being one of five Devils to play with all 82 games.What Hughes achieved as a newbie triggered him ending up third in Calder Prize voting responsible for the resulting champion, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and also Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes as well as Faber were the only rookie defensemen who participated in all 82 activities last season. They were likewise tied for 2nd amongst novices in points along with Bedard leading the game's first-year gamers along with 61 points.Once Hughes is removed to return, he is actually expected to be a crucial component of the Devils' strategies to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, invested two years creating at the Educational institution of Michigan, which likewise produced his brother Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader that is actually likewise the ruling Norris Prize winner for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after pair of seasons as well as authorized his entry-level contract along with the Devils. It allowed him to join his bro and also Devils alternate captain, Jack, for the team's playoff run during the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils gained 52 activities during the course of the 2022-23 season as well as accelerated to the playoffs for the first time in 4 periods. They opened along with a first-round victory over the competing The big apple Rangers in 7 activities before dropping in the 2nd around versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last period saw the Devils battle to discover congruity and skip the playoffs. It resulted in all of them parting methods with head trainer Lindy Ruff and tapping the services of interim trainer Travis Veggie before they at that point employed previous Toronto Walnut Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe in late May.