New Jersey devils Star Jack Hughes to Miss Eight Weeks After Finger Surgery
NEWARK, NJ - New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes will be sidelined for approximately eight weeks after undergoing finger surgery, the team announced Saturday. The injury occurred during a 3-2 shootout victory over the washington Capitals.
“Talked to the players who were there,members of our training and equipment staff that were there as well,and [it was] a very unfortunate situation,” Devils coach Sheldon Keefe said. “More bad luck than anything.We’re satisfied with that, and we’ll just make sure we can do what we can to get jack better.”
Hughes, 22, currently leads the Devils in goals (10) and points (20) through 17 games this season, including two assists in a 4-3 overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. He previously missed the final 20 games of the 2022-23 regular season and the Devils’ five-game loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference First Round after shoulder surgery in March.
The injury adds to a growing list of absences for New Jersey. Forward Cody Glass is out week to week with an upper-body injury sustained against the Blackhawks. Defensemen Dougie Hamilton (lower body), Brett Pesce (hand), and Johnathan Kovacevic (lower body), and forwards Zack MacEwen (undisclosed), evgenii Dadonov (fractured hand), and Connor Brown (upper body) are also currently injured.Hamilton and Brown are expected to return to practice Monday.
“It’s a big hole,” Keefe said. “You take Jack out in addition to Cody Glass… It’s a concern. We’ve got to manage it as best we can. I’m confident in the group. We played without Jack for a long period of time last year and were able to play .500 hockey. I expect more of our team. We weren’t playing as well last time Jack went out as we are now. I expect more of our group.Just keep pressing on.”
Despite the injuries, the Devils (13-4-1) remain first in the Metropolitan Division.
“Obviously we feel bad for Jack, bad for all the other guys who would like to be in the lineup, but it is what it is,” Devils captain Nico Hischier said. “From now on, we’ve got to move forward.”
Hughes’ recovery timeline potentially allows him to be available for the United States at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in February.
