.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 need in between six to eight full weeks to bounce back coming from a shoulder injury he experienced earlier this month, the crew pointed out Thursday.Hughes experienced a left shoulder trauma in the course of offseason training. After being actually analyzed by the Devils' medical personnel, it was calculated he would not demand surgery and also it can take much more than six weeks for him to recover.That timetable suggests Hughes will overlook the Devils' 7 preseason video games as well as their season-opening video games on Oct. 4 and also Oct. 5 versus the Buffalo Grass Sabres in Prague, Czechia. The earliest he could come back would be the week of Oct. twenty, which means the Devils would possess currently participated in 8 regular-season games.Losing Hughes for even a brief time period follows he utilized his novice campaign to enhance why he's thought about among the video game's brightest younger stars. Hughes completed last time with six goals as well as 47 aspects while likewise being one of 5 Adversaries to play in each 82 games.What Hughes completed as a novice caused him finishing 3rd in Calder Trophy ballot behind the ultimate victor, Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, as well as Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber.Hughes and also Faber were the only newbie defensemen that played all 82 activities final season. They were actually also matched for second amongst newbies in points along with Bedard leading the game's first-year gamers with 61 points.Once Hughes is cleared to come back, he's assumed to be a crucial aspect of the Devils' plans to come back to the playoffs. Hughes, who was actually the 4th choice of the 2021 NHL Draft, spent 2 years creating at the University of Michigan, which additionally made his bro Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver Canucks leader who is likewise the reigning Norris Trophy champion for the NHL's greatest defenseman.Hughes left behind Michigan after two periods and signed his entry-level contract along with the Devils. It permitted him to join his bro and also Evil ones alternative captain, Jack, for the team's playoff run throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.The Devils succeeded 52 games during the 2022-23 time as well as progressed to the playoffs for the first time in four times. They opened along with a first-round victory over the rivalrous Nyc Rangers in 7 games prior to dropping in the 2nd sphere versus the Carolina Hurricanes.Last time saw the Devils battle to discover congruity as well as skip the playoffs. It resulted in them parting means along with crown trainer Lindy Ruff and hiring interim instructor Travis Environment-friendly just before they at that point worked with past Toronto Maple Leafs train Sheldon Keefe in late Might.