Devils’ Jack Hughes out eight weeks after finger surgery
A timeline has been revealed for an injury-riddled star.
On Saturday, the New Jersey Devils announced that forward Jack Hughes is expected to be out eight weeks after undergoing successful finger surgery.
The Devils also stated that Hughes will be re-evaluated six weeks from now.
The New Jersey Devils have provided the following medical update:
“New Jersey Devils C Jack Hughes underwent successful surgery on his finger.
The procedure was performed by Dr. Robert Hotchkiss at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
The expected return to play… pic.twitter.com/wVkPNZwe0Y
The team stated on Friday that Hughes suffered a hand injury in a non-hockey incident. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman reported that Hughes had been hurt at a team dinner, in a fluke accident, with some citing that Hughes had slipped and cut his hand.
It’s just another injury in a laundry list of ailments for the former first-overall pick. Last season, he had shoulder surgery that kept him out for the last month of the regular season, as well as the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His absence was noticeable, as New Jersey’s offense struggled, and the team was unable to keep up with the Carolina Hurricanes in their first-round series.
Hughes also had shoulder surgery that kept him out for an extended period of time during the 2023-24 season. Since the 2021-22 campaign, the Orlando, Fla. native has missed a total of 77 games. The closest he has ever come to playing 80 games in a season was the 2022-23 campaign.
Yet, despite all of the ailments, Hughes is still close to a point-per-game in his NHL career. In 385 regular-season games, he has scored 151 goals and 220 assists for 371 points. He also notched 11 points in the Devils’ run to the second round of the 2023 playoffs.
This season, Hughes has scored 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games, good enough to lead the Devils in scoring.