.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 definitely require in between 6 to eight full weeks to recoup coming from a shoulder trauma he suffered previously this month, the crew said Thursday.Hughes went through a left side shoulder accident in the course of offseason training. After being assessed due to the Devils' health care team, it was established he will not need surgery and also it could take more than six full weeks for him to recover.That timetable means Hughes would certainly overlook the Devils' seven preseason activities and their season-opening games on Oct. 4 as well as Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he can return will be actually the full week of Oct. twenty, which indicates the Devils will have presently participated in 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a quick period comes after he used his rookie project to bolster why he's thought about one of the game's brightest young stars. Hughes completed final time along with six goals as well as 47 aspects while additionally being one of five Devils to play in each 82 games.What Hughes achieved as a rookie led to him ending up third in Calder Prize voting responsible for the possible victor, Chicago Blackhawks facility 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 activities final period. They were also matched for 2nd one of rookies in points with Bedard leading the league's first-year gamers along with 61 points.Once Hughes is actually gotten rid of to come back, he is actually anticipated to be a crucial aspect of the Devils' plans to come back to the playoffs. Hughes, that was actually the 4th pick of the 2021 NHL Draft, invested two years creating at the College of Michigan, which likewise made his brother Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader that is actually also the reigning Norris Prize victor for the NHL's finest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after 2 periods and also signed his entry-level deal along with the Devils. It enabled him to join his bro and also Adversaries alternate captain, Jack, for the crew's playoff run throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils gained 52 games in the course of the 2022-23 season and advanced to the playoffs for the very first time in four times. They opened along with a first-round victory over the competing New York Rangers in seven video games just before losing in the 2nd around against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last season found the Devils battle to discover uniformity as well as miss out on the playoffs. It triggered them parting means with crown train Lindy Ruff and working with acting coach Travis Green before they at that point tapped the services of former Toronto Walnut Leafs instructor Sheldon Keefe in late May.