New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a left shoulder injury, the team announced Thursday. The injury was sustained earlier this month during offseason training and will not require surgery.
#NEWS: The New Jersey Devils announced today that defenseman Luke Hughes suffered a left shoulder injury earlier this month during off-season training. Upon examination by New Jersey’s medical staff, it was determined that he will not require surgery.
Hughes’ recovery time is… pic.twitter.com/i5OJlnxG2Q
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) September 12, 2024
The 21-year-old defenseman set a franchise record for rookie scoring with 47 points in 82 games in 2023-24, tying the Minnesota Wild’s Brock Faber for the second-most points as a rookie last season (behind the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard) and earning a Calder Trophy nominee for NHL rookie of the year.
Hughes, younger brother of Devils teammate Jack Hughes and Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes, was selected by New Jersey with the No. 4 pick in 2021.
Hughes’ impact last season
Hughes had 10 goals and 49 points and, with Dougie Hamilton out most of the season, averaged more than 21 minutes of ice time a game. It was a strong rookie campaign, though at times he likely had to carry too much responsibility because of injuries and free agency departures on the Devils’ blue line.
Tom Fitzgerald worked to bolster his defensive corps this offseason. He added Brett Pesce and Brendan Dillon in free agency and Johnathan Kovacevic via trade. Kovacevic likely would have started the season as the seventh defenseman, but he now could be an option to play opening night.
The team is also bringing in Jakub Zboril on a professional tryout. The 2015 first-round pick by Boston has played 76 NHL games in his career, and the Hughes injury opens the door for him to potentially earn a contract. Like Hughes, he’s a left defenseman.
New Jersey’s offseason moves should allow the team to withstand Hughes’ absence early in the season, but he’ll need to eventually be back in the lineup and uncompromised for the team to reach its full potential. He is in New Jersey for treatment and physical therapy.
A potential Devils’ opening night defensive group could look something like:
- Jonas Siegenthaler-Hamilton
- Dillon-Pesce
- Kovacevic-Simon Nemec — Peter Baugh, NHL staff writer
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
