There is a lot of bad news surrounding the Hughes brothers as of late for the New Jersey Devils. With Quinn Hughes getting traded to the Minnesota Wild despite reports that the Devils had a chance to grab him, it’s been a pretty dreary place for fans. Add to that injuries to fan favorites in Arseny Gritsyuk and Simon Nemec, and it’s just too much bad news for one fanbase to handle.
The only thing that can save them is one major piece of good news to overcome all of the bad. Nothing would be better than the return of Jack Hughes.
Hughes went down with a finger injury, which was announced on November 15th. On Thursday, it marks five weeks since the original injury. According to the timeline the Devils released at the time, he’s still about three weeks away from returning.
In most years, that wouldn’t be the end of the world. With the Christmas break, it would be nine games at most. This year, that’s either 12 or 13 games. The extra four games could be the difference between second place and missing the playoffs.
That’s why everyone celebrated when a fan video showed Jack Hughes skating on the ice earlier this week. Not only was he skating, but he was wearing gloves and holding a stick. That caused Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe to address Hughes’s timeline. His response was not what Devils fans wanted to hear.
Jack Hughes is still a ways away from a return. #NJDevils HC Sheldon Keefe says that Jack is far enough away from a return that he doesn't get daily updates, as he's that far out from rejoining.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) December 16, 2025
No surprise with this news as it continues to align with the original timeline.
Amanda Stein says that Hughes is still aligned with the timeline, which would have Hughes return in the first half of January. However, another report says that’s not what’s actually going on.
Darren Dreger on TSN’s Early Trading said that Hughes isn’t far from returning. In fact, he was pretty clear that the original timeline might not be when he comes back.
"I think (Brett Pesce's) expected to return as early as Wednesday, and Jack Hughes is not that far behind. He is likely going to return earlier than expected, so internally, that’s a boost for the Devils."Darren Dreger, TSN
Hughes’s return is the ultimate good news. Of course, we won’t believe it until we see it with our very eyes. Unlike Pesce, Hughes isn’t even skating with the rest of the team. He’s doing his skating on his own. Until he’s on the ice in a contact jersey, everything is just a pipe dream.
If the Devils could get Hughes back in 2025, it’ll be worth rejoicing. The Devils are working towards a healthy roster, even if that seems impossible right now. If Pesce isn’t ready to go for the Devils in Las Vegas, they’ll be without eight lineup regulars. Once Pesce and Hughes return, arguably their two most important injured players will be back on the ice.