The New Jersey Devils shut down defenseman Luke Hughes on Thursday to undergo an undisclosed procedure and “get a head start on rehab for the offseason.”
The Devils (40-35-3, 83 points) have been eliminated from the playoff picture and have four games left, starting with their Thursday home game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Hughes, 22, played 21 shifts and logged 24:09 of ice time in New Jersey’s most recent game, a 5-1 loss to the visiting Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
Hughes, who signed a seven-year, $63 million extension in October, finished the season with 35 points (six goals, 29 assists) in 68 games.
He missed 10 games this winter with a shoulder injury. ESPN reported that the surgery he will undergo is to address the shoulder issue.
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Hughes has 128 points (23 goals, 105 assists) in 223 games since making his NHL regulas-season debut with New Jersey in April 2023.
