Hughes notched an assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Panthers.
Hughes set up a Stefan Noesen tally midway through the first period. This was Hughes' second helper in 11 appearances this season, as he's struggled to generate offense after missing time early in the campaign due to a shoulder injury. The 21-year-old blueliner has added 14 shots on net, nine blocked shots and a minus-3 rating while averaging 18:31 of ice time. The Devils' blue line is pretty deep, so Hughes may remain on the third pairing while featuring on the power play.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Will play Friday
Rotowire
Hughes (shoulder) is expected to play versus the Islanders on Friday.
There was a chance the Devils would hold Hughes out to avoid having him play back-to-back games right after returning from his shoulder injury. The 21-year-old defenseman should see top-four minutes and power-play time after earning an assist with the man advantage in his season debut Thursday, a 5-3 loss to the Red Wings.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Game-time decision Friday
Rotowire
Hughes could be a game-time decision Friday versus the Islanders, Mike Morreale of NHL.com reports.
Hughes played his first game of the season Thursday against the Red Wings after missing the first nine games of the season with a shoulder injury. The Devils may not want him to play back-to-back games this quickly, and he could be a healthy scratch. The Devils play again Sunday at home versus Anaheim, and barring any setbacks, look for Hughes to be in the lineup. Hughes picked up an assist in 15:11 of action Thursday.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Set to return Thursday
Rotowire
Hughes (shoulder) will play in Thursday's game against the Red Wings, Bill Spaulding of MSG Network reports.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe said Wednesday that Hughes would travel with the team to Detroit but wouldn't confirm whether the defenseman would return to action against the Red Wings. However, Hughes and Brett Pesce (lower leg) led the post-practice stretch Wednesday, and both players have been confirmed as available by Keefe. Hughes played in all 82 games for the Devils last year, racking up nine goals, 47 points and 55 blocked shots.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Traveling with team
Rotowire
Hughes (shoulder) will join the Devils as they head to Detroit for Thursday's matchup, Devils play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin reports.
While head coach Sheldon Keefe wouldn't confirm that Hughes will be in the lineup versus the Wings, the fact that both Hughes and Brett Pesce (lower leg) led the post-practice stretch Wednesday would see to indicate that the duo will be back in action Thursday. In order for Hughes to play, he will need to be activated off injured reserve, a move that likely will see Daniil Misyul relegated to the press box as a healthy scratch.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Nearing return to action
Rotowire
Hughes' (shoulder) return to the lineup is "imminent" but it won't be against the Lightning on Tuesday, Amanda Stein of the Devils' official site reports.
Hughes wasn't expected back until early November but it seems he is ahead of schedule in his recovery. Once given the all-clear, the 21-year-old blueliner should take on significant minutes on the blue line, though his power-play role is unclear due to the fact that Dougie Hamilton is healthy this year and has already scored a power-play goal through the Devils' first eight games.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Surfaces on injured reserve
Rotowire
Hughes (shoulder) landed on injured reserve Monday, per PuckPedia.
Hughes has not resumed skating after suffering a shoulder injury during offseason training. The 21-year-old skated in all 82 regular-season contests with the Devils last season, banking 47 points and a minus-25 rating. Fellow blueliner Dougie Hamilton will quarterback New Jersey's top power-play unit while Hughes is sidelined.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Not skating yet
Rotowire
Hughes (shoulder) hasn't resumed skating and is still 5-7 weeks away from playing, according to Mike Morreale of NHL.com.
Hughes sustained a shoulder injury Sept. 12 and was originally given a timetable of 6-8 weeks, so it seems he's now on track to miss more time than was originally projected. The 21-year-old had nine goals and 47 points in 82 appearances with New Jersey in 2023-24, including 25 points with the man advantage. Dougie Hamilton, who didn't play past Nov. 28 last year due to a pectoral injury, is set to open the campaign on New Jersey's top power-play unit, while Seamus Casey might get a chance with the second group due to Hughes' absence.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Suffers shoulder injury
Rotowire
Hughes is expected to miss 6-8 weeks after suffering a left shoulder injury but will not require surgery, the club announced Thursday.
Even on the short end of his injury timeline, Hughes figures to miss the opening 10 games of the season at a minimum, making him a strong candidate to start the campaign on long-term injured reserve. The 21-year-old blueliner avoided injury as a rookie last year, featuring in all 82 regular-season contests in which he tallied nine goals and 38 helpers, including 25 power-play points. With Hughes out of action for the start of the season, Dougie Hamilton will almost certainly move up to the No. 1 power-play unit while Jakub Zboril, who comes into camp on a PTO, could earn his way into a full-time deal.
Devils' Luke Hughes: Strong stretch run in rookie year
Rotowire
Hughes finished his rookie season with nine goals and 47 points while dressing for all 82 games in 2023-24.
Hughes showed off his puck-moving skills on the power play, notching 25 points on the man advantage. Similar to his brothers Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes (shoulder), Luke is highly skilled but undersized. The 184-pound blueliner was bullied in the defensive zone to the tune of a minus-25 rating, but fantasy managers will be willing to overlook those shortcomings from the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, especially if Hughes proves capable of sustaining his point-per-game pace from the last 14 games of 2023-24 over a longer stretch.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Contributes assist Sunday
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Hughes notched an assist and added a shot on net in Sunday's 3-2 shootout loss to the Predators.
Hughes provided the primary assist on the opening goal of the game. He also added one shot on net, two blocked shots, two PIM and a plus-1 rating in 24:43 of ice time. The 22-year-old defenseman extended his point streak to seven games, but he hasn't registered a multi-point game since March 21. With 45 points on the season, Hughes now has the second-most by a rookie defenseman in team history.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Posts helper in loss
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Hughes notched an assist, four shots on goal and a minus-2 rating in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Sabres.
Hughes has a goal and seven helpers over his last six contests, one of his best runs of the season. The rookie defenseman is up to 41 points, 123 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and a minus-20 rating through 74 contests overall. Hughes continues to offer fantasy upside with a significant power-play role -- his helper Friday was his first at even strength since March 14.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Five assists in last two games
Rotowire
Hughes delivered three power-play assists Thursday in a 4-1 victory over the Jets.
He played 20:30 on the night and fired six shots. Hughes has five assists, including four with the man advantage, in his last two games. The points move him into a tie with Brock Faber of Minnesota for second in rookie scoring (38) behind Connor Bedard (54). Hughes had seemingly hit a wall earlier on, tallying 10 points, including nine assists, in 30 games prior to this mini-run. That shouldn't be surprising -- the 20-year-old defender is one season removed from an NCAA season where he played 39 games. Hughes has now played 70 this campaign. His talent is undeniable, but his fatigue is real. But if the Devils keep putting him on the power play, Hughes could give you an end-of-season burst.
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Devils' Luke Hughes: Two-point effort in win
Rotowire
Hughes notched two assists, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
The 20-year-old blueliner had a hand in a Timo Meier tally in the second period and Alexander Holtz's game-winner in the third. Hughes' goal drought stands at 27 games, a stretch in which he's managed 11 assists with a minus-14 rating as he's shown signs of fatigue toward the end of his first full NHL season.
Devils' Luke Hughes: Contributes two power-play assists
Rotowire
Hughes logged a pair of power-play assists and three shots on goal in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Ducks.
Hughes earned his first multi-point effort since Dec. 29. The 20-year-old defenseman has been a fine fantasy option so far with 31 points (16 on the power play), 91 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and a minus-19 rating through 60 appearances on the year. Hughes continues to see top-four minutes and ample power-play time, so he should be at least somewhat consistent on offense.
