The Jack Hughes injury is now almost exactly one week from the time of this writing. As we learn more, it seems like the New Jersey Devils avoided the worst-case scenario, as the piece of glass that pierced his hand didn’t do as much damage as it could have. Hughes is still going to be out for weeks, but a new report says he might even be back before the Devils' timeline says he might.
ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan was on their show The Bump when she gave an update on Hughes’s possible timeline. When the story first came out, the Devils were pretty transparent that they expected him to be out for eight weeks with a re-evaluation of the surgery at six weeks.
However, it sounds like Kaplan thinks there’s a better case scenario at play. The Christmas Break would come around the seven-week mark of his injury timeline. That’s after Hughes is evaluated but before the Devils initially expected him back.
It’s good to get some good news as the Devils have been mostly bad news as of late. They have been devoid of offense since Jack Hughes left the lineup. They haven’t been able to get the right lineup, and Dawson Mercer has done a disappearing act at center. Timo Meier hasn’t been scoring, and something is wrong with Nico Hischier.
Jack Hughes might be back before the eight-week timeline the New Jersey Devils originally announced
In the last eight periods (not including overtime and the shootout of the Washington Capitals game), they have scored one goal. It’s been rough. They did get two points thanks to Simon Nemec’s shootout goal on Saturday, but they had two listless efforts against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. These stretches happen, but everyone around them is winning, and they could lose their spot in the standings if they aren’t careful.
Being this was a simple pinky injury, Hughes should be good to go at 100 percent as soon as he’s cleared. Kaplan did say it’s “more likely” he returns sometime in January, but knowing there’s at least a chance he returns right after the Christmas Break could be the difference between finishing the year in an envious spot in the Metropolitan Division or not.