New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had surgery on his finger after being injured in a “non-hockey” setting, the team said on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the injury occurred at a team dinner on Thursday night. ESPN described the incident as a “freak accident.”
“The expected return to play timeline is eight weeks and he will be re-evaluated at the six-week mark,” the Devils said in a statement.
Hughes played for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and is expected to be a candidate for the U.S. Olympic team. The eight-week timeline would put his return around Jan. 10. The Winter Olympics start in February.
The Devils said Jack Hughes would be re-evaluated in six weeks and is expected to return to play in eight weeks.
The Devils play 27 games over the next eight weeks.
Hughes, 24, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 draft, had missed 20 games in each of the last two seasons. He needed season-ending shoulder surgery last March after crashing into the boards.
But he had come back strong this season with a team-high 10 goals and 20 points in 17 games for the Eastern Conference-leading Devils.
Hughes had a team-record 99 points in 2022-23 when he played 78 games.
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