DETROIT -- Luke Hughes and Brett Pesce are expected to return from injury and make their season debuts for the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night in Detroit.
Hughes, 21, hurt his shoulder training in the offseason. Pesce broke a leg in the playoffs last season with the Carolina Hurricanes and has been rehabbing. New Jersey is 5-3-1 without the defensemen, but the Devils gave up 14 goals in losing the past two games.
Hughes had nine goals and 38 assists in 82 games last season. He was a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given to the NHL's top rookie.
Pesce, 29, was signed as a free agent in the offseason, receiving a six-year $33 million deal. He had 39 goals and 159 assists in 627 games with the Hurricanes, who drafted him in 2013.