It was a very unfortunate team dinner for the New Jersey Devils.
Devils star forward Jack Hughes will be out eight weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his finger for an injury he suffered when he cut his hand at a team dinner on Thursday night, the team announced Saturday.
Hughes will be re-evaluated at the six-week mark. It was not clear which finger or which hand Hughes had surgery on.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news of the injury on Friday, with multiple sources calling it a "freak accident."
"When I first started looking into this Friday morning, I think the Devils and Hughes and Team USA really consider this outcome fortunate," Friedman further reported on the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada. "But when I first heard about it on Friday morning, I think there were people that were worried he would definitely miss the Olympics.
"The fact that this was the diagnosis we got, reevaluated after six weeks, I think everybody involved here would consider that a victory."
The 24-year-old center is one of the biggest reasons for the Devils’ strong start to the season. He has 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points to put them atop the Eastern Conference.
Hughes missed the final six weeks of last season and the playoffs after crashing right shoulder-first into the boards. He underwent surgery not long after.
His long-term absence puts Hughes' status for the U.S. Olympic team in doubt, as he is not expected to play before the Dec. 31 roster deadline. Hughes has been considered nearly a lock to make it and could be on the initial roster and replaced if needed.
— With files from the Associated Press
