Jack Hughes is being shut down for the rest of the season.
The Devils star will undergo season-ending surgery on his shoulder on Wednesday in Colorado.
Dr. Peter Millett will perform the procedure, and Hughes is expected to make a full recovery in time for training camp next season, the Devils said in a statement.
The decision to undergo the procedure came after Hughes had conversations with his family, representatives, the Devils training staff and chief medical officer Dr. Jonathan L. Glashow, the team said.
The decision comes with the Devils down to just three games left in the season after Tuesday night, when New Jersey hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs at Prudential Center.
The Devils are five points back of the Red Wings for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and Moneypuck lists their odds — before Tuesday night’s action — to make the postseason a 0.3 percent.
Hughes leads the Devils in goals this season with 27 and is first in points per game with 1.19 — ranking 13th in the NHL in that category as well.
His 74 points and 47 assists are second among Devils’ skaters this year.
Hughes hadn’t participated in the team’s morning skate on Tuesday, and Devils head coach Travis Green told reporters that Hughes wouldn’t play against the Maple Leafs.
Green would only say at the time that it was an upper-body issue and wouldn’t elaborate beyond “we’ll see” when questioned if it would be a long-term issue.
The young Devil has dealt with a number of upper body injuries over the course of the season and missed 16 games because of them.
Hughes missed time in November after falling into the boards, and he suffered a separate upper-body injury on Jan. 5 after an awkward fall into the boards that kept him out for part of that month.
Hughes was switched from center to wing in February, and in an interview with NJ Advanced Media, Green wouldn’t discuss much about the forward’s injury issues this year.
“I don’t want to get into it in too much detail, to be honest,” Green told the outlet in an interview published on Tuesday. “Coming back from his injury, we thought it was best to put him on the wing. The one good thing about Jack and a lot of good forwards is they can play wing or center. It also frees him up some defensive responsibilities right now and create some more offense. That’s probably where I’m comfortable leaving it at.”
Hughes has become one of hockey’s big young stars and has produced three straight 25-plus goal seasons, which included the 2022-23 campaign when he scored 43 and led the Devils on a surprising run to the second round of the playoffs.
