.Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterSep 12, 2024, 02:13 PM ETCloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL media reporter for ESPN.New Shirt Devils defenseman Luke Hughes will require in between 6 to 8 full weeks to recuperate from a shoulder accident he endured earlier this month, the team said Thursday.Hughes endured a nigh side shoulder trauma during the course of offseason training. After being analyzed due to the Devils' clinical team, it was identified he will certainly not call for surgical procedure which it could possibly take greater than six weeks for him to recover.That timeline suggests Hughes will miss the Devils' seven preseason activities and their season-opening activities on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could possibly return would certainly be the week of Oct. 20, which indicates the Devils would certainly possess actually played 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a brief time frame comes after he used his rookie initiative to strengthen why he's taken into consideration among the game's brightest youthful stars. Hughes completed last period with 6 goals as well as 47 factors while also being one of 5 Adversaries to play in all 82 games.What Hughes performed as a rookie caused him finishing 3rd in Calder Trophy ballot behind the possible victor, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, as well as Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes as well as Faber were actually the only novice defensemen who played all 82 video games final season. They were actually likewise tied for 2nd among novices in aspects with Bedard leading the organization's first-year gamers along with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually gotten rid of to come back, he is actually assumed to become a critical aspect of the Devils' strategies to go back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the fourth selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, spent 2 years cultivating at the Educational institution of Michigan, which additionally created his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader who is actually additionally the reigning Norris Prize victor for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left Michigan after two periods as well as signed his entry-level deal with the Devils. It enabled him to join his brother as well as Evil ones alternative captain, Port, for the crew's playoff operate throughout the 2023 Stanley Mug playoffs.The Devils won 52 activities during 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 triumph over the rivalrous Nyc Rangers in seven activities prior to losing in the 2nd around against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last period observed the Devils problem to find congruity as well as miss out on the playoffs. It resulted in all of them parting techniques along with head trainer Lindy Ruff as well as choosing acting train Travis Eco-friendly prior to they then tapped the services of past Toronto Walnut Leafs trainer Sheldon Keefe in late May.