The final two rounds of Men’s Ice Hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics gets underway this weekend before deciding a winner on Sunday morning (local time). Jack Hughes and Simon Nemec are the last New Jersey Devils standing in Milan and will compete in the semifinals on Friday for a chance to play for gold. However, back in Newark, the non-Olympian Devils are back at practice, and Luke Hughes was among the players on the ice on Wedneaday.
Luke was injured on January 19th when the Devils visited the Calgary Flames with an apparent upper-body injury.
He missed the following eight games before the Olympic break, but returned to pracitce with the Devils on Wednesday.
“It’s encouraging to see him [on the ice],” head coach Sheldon Keefe said after Wednesday’s practice. “He was exciting to get back with the group. Luke’s put in some extra work over this break. He got some extra work in and the hope is that he can ramp up as we as we ramp up.”
So, when can the 22-year-old defenseman return to the lineup?
The Devils placed Luke on long-term injured reserve retroactive to January 19th. A player placed on LTIR has to miss at least 10 NHL games and 24 calendar days before they can return. The clock didn’t stop over the Olympic break for days missed. Therefore, Luke’s already met the 24-day requirement per the LTIR rules. However, he has to remain sidelined for two more games, meaning the earliest Luke can return is on February 28th, when the Devils visit the St. Louis Blues before the calendar turns to March.
The Devils have 25 games remaining on the 2025-26 schedule, 23 of which Luke is eiligible to take part in.
New Jersey sits 11 points out of playoff position behind the New York Islanders and Boston Bruins. According to Moneypuck, the Devils have a 2.4% chance of making the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
