Jack Hughes Out for Rest of Devils' Season After Surgery on Shoulder Injury

Jack Hughes will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season after undergoing shoulder surgery Wednesday.

He is "expected to make a full recovery and be available for training camp," according to the Devils.

Hughes suffered the injury after a trip by Jack Eichel sent him crashing into the boards on a short-handed rush late in the Devils' Sunday loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Hughes led the team with 27 goals and 70 points through 62 games.

The Devils could reevaluate their approach to the March 7 trade deadline after losing their leading scorer. That could involve considering the team's status with pending unrestricted free agents including Jake Allen and Tomas Tatar, or using the extra cap space afforded by the LTIR move to stock up for a run.

As of Wednesday, the Devils sit third in the Metro, 14 points back of the Washington Capitals for the division lead and six points ahead of the New York Rangers for the last wild-card spot.

It has been less than a year since Hughes last underwent surgery on that same shoulder.

After missing multiple stretches of time with upper-body injuries during the 2023-24 season, Hughes missed the last four games of the campaign to undergo a right shoulder procedure on April 10.

The news that Hughes will have to undergo rehabilitation for the second straight offseason is a significant blow for a team whose championship aspirations are built in part around the hope that the center can repeat the 43-goal, 99-point campaign he put up in 78 games of the 2022-23 campaign.

That would require a healthy season from Hughes, however, and the forward has yet to play more than 62 games since.

In addition to evaluating the team's playoff hopes without Hughes, the Devils will now turn their focus toward Hughes' future. The 23-year-old is signed through the 2029-30 season, and when healthy he has shown he can be one of the most talented forwards in the NHL. Giving him the best possible path to a full recovery will be key to the Devils' hopes of contending going forward.