The Devils are looking for a center and scoring depth and are open to adding a top-six forward if one is available.

If Hughes is out for the rest of the regular season, they can put him on Long Term Injured Reserve. That frees up cap space to add more expensive players for the rest of the regular season. The Devils could then bring Hughes back for the playoffs when the salary cap is not enforced.

The star center flew back to New Jersey to be evaluated by team doctors following his right arm/shoulder injury on Sunday, a person with knowledge of the situation told NJ Advance Media on Monday. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the situation.