Done for season Hughes underwent shoulder surgery and was placed on long-term injured reserve Wednesday. He's expected to be ready for training camp. Impact Hughes suffered the injury during the third period of Sunday's 2-0 loss to Vegas. He'll finish the 2024-25 campaign with 27 goals and 70 points in 62 appearances. Hughes is a vital part of the Devils' forward corps, and this is a devastating blow to say the least. New Jersey holds the third seed in the Metropolitan Division with a 33-24-6 record, but its playoff spot isn't secure. Hughes comes with an $8 million cap hit, so putting him on LTIR does give the Devils a lot of flexibility going into the deadline, but they'll have to evaluate if they want to be buyers when they're also expected to miss Hughes for the playoffs. If the team doesn't make changes before Friday's trade deadline, then Dawson Mercer will probably serve in a top-six capacity and feature on the first power-play unit for the remainder of the season.
MARCH 5 • ROTOWIRE