The New Jersey Devils are going to be without star forward Jack Hughes for a little bit longer.
The team announced on Friday that Hughes had a one week re-evaluation for his dislocated shoulder, and that while he is “on course” with his rehab and that everything is stable, he will remain out of the lineup for at least another five weeks.
At that point he will be re-evaluated for a potential return to the lineup.
Hughes has appeared in just two games for the Devils this season, scoring two goals and adding an assist.
After taking a significant step forward in his second season this looked like a potential breakout year for the 2019 No. 1 overall pick. Based on what we saw from him in the preseason and his first two games, he seemed well on his way toward that. But his shoulder injury he suffered in the second game of the season has temporarily put those plans on hold.
It is a big loss for a young Devils team that is trying to stay competitive and take a step forward in a tough Metropolitan Division.
The Devils are 1-2-0 with six goals in the three games they have played without Hughes, with the only win being an overtime win against Buffalo. They were 2-0 with eight goals in the two games Hughes played.
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Adam Gretz is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @AGretz.