Looks like nothing is going the New Jersey Devils’ way at the moment. Yesterday, they suffered their 23rd regulation loss this season, going down against the Golden Knights 2-0. As if this wasn’t bad enough, matters were made worse after the team’s alternate captain, Jack Hughes, suffered a bad shoulder injury. Amid a tight contest for the Stanley Cup playoffs, renowned NHL broadcaster Trey Matthews spoke about what this means for the Devils.

In the latest episode of the Locked On Devils podcast, Matthews talked about Hughes’ injury, saying, “Worst case scenario is that Jack Hughes is going to be sidelined the rest of the season. Because don’t look now, but it is early March, and we only have, like, a month and a half remaining in the season, so if Jack Hughes is scheduled to miss two months, then virtually he’s out for the rest of the season, and the Devils will be in a very, very bad situation. But if it’s not as bad as we’re anticipating, okay, that eliminates him being out for the rest of the year.

Earlier, Devils head coach, Sheldon Keefe also opened up about the extent of Hughes’ injury. Expressing his concern, he said, “Obviously, it didn’t look good. We’re going to have to take the time to know the full extent of it. It’s tough to see, especially it’s a similar play he got called on earlier in the period.”

During the game against the Golden Knights, a collision with Jack Eichel saw Hughes slam into the sideboards, causing him to injure what looks like either his arm or shoulder. It began when Nico Hischier took a shot and Hughes could not corral the rebound, thus causing the collision. It didn’t look good, though without a concrete update, all everyone can do is speculate.

While the Devils would hope that their star player Hughes comes back soon, their playoff chances hang by a thin thread in his absence. Subsequently, a public sports doctor also gave his views on the extent of Hughes’ injury.

Sports Doctor shares prediction about Jack Hughes’ injury

With everyone giving their two cents on Jack Hughes’ injury, sports physician Dr. Harjas Grewal also weighed in on the matter and offered up a timeline of return depending on the extent of the injury.

Unfortunately for Devils fans, Dr. Grewal’s assessment was not very optimistic about the situation. Sharing his thoughts on X, he wrote, “Purely from a mechanism stand point, would anticipate a collarbone related injury (either a separated shoulder or broken collarbone) but considering Hughes’ history + how he holds his arm after, my concern is a dislocated shoulder.”

What does this mean, though? Dr. Grewal explained, “Will have MRI tomorrow and depending on that + exam, either can rehab or may require surgery As far as I know, this is his first time dislocating his right shoulder and so odds are he could start with a period of immobility (usually 3 weeks) and then rehab before returning. If he has to get surgery, it’s a 4-6+ month recovery.”

Not the kind of speculation Devils fans will want to hear, but ultimately, until the team issues an update, there’s no way to make any definitive statement. But with the Devils lying third in the Metropolitan Division, Hughes’ absence will be hugely missed as they eye a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Nonetheless, the fans would hope that their star player gets well soon and is able to make a strong comeback on the ice, defying all expectations.