.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 are going to need to have between six to eight full weeks to recover from a shoulder personal injury he suffered previously this month, the crew said Thursday.Hughes suffered a left shoulder accident throughout offseason training. After being actually evaluated by the Devils' medical workers, it was actually determined he will certainly not need surgery and also it could possibly take much more than six full weeks for him to recover.That timetable indicates Hughes would miss the Devils' 7 preseason video games and also their season-opening activities on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could possibly come back will be actually the week of Oct. 20, which means the Devils will possess presently played 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for also a short time period comes after he utilized his novice initiative to bolster why he is actually thought about one of the video game's brightest young celebrities. Hughes ended up last season along with 6 targets and 47 aspects while additionally being just one of five Devils to play in every 82 games.What Hughes achieved as a novice caused him finishing 3rd in Calder Prize ballot behind the ultimate champion, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, and Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and Faber were actually the only novice defensemen who played all 82 video games last period. They were also tied for 2nd amongst newbies in points with Bedard leading the organization's first-year players along with 61 points.Once Hughes is cleared to come back, he's expected to be a critical part of the Devils' plans to return to the playoffs. Hughes, who was the 4th selection of the 2021 NHL Draught, invested pair of years creating at the College of Michigan, which likewise made his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks captain who is actually additionally the ruling Norris Prize champion for the NHL's ideal defenseman.Hughes left Michigan after 2 periods and signed his entry-level arrangement with the Devils. It allowed him to join his bro and also Devils alternate leader, Port, for the team's playoff operate throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils gained 52 games during the course of the 2022-23 period as well as evolved to the playoffs for the very first time in four periods. They opened with a first-round victory over the rivalrous New York Rangers in seven video games just before losing in the second sphere against the Carolina Hurricanes.Last period found the Devils struggle to find consistency and also skip the playoffs. It brought about them parting means with head coach Lindy Ruff as well as hiring interim trainer Travis Environment-friendly prior to they then tapped the services of former Toronto Walnut Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in late Might.