The center was struck in the visor with a deflected puck late during a 5-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 27. He was placed on injured reserve March 4, retroactive to the date of the injury.
"His demeanor is great," New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said Tuesday. "I think our doctors did a great job of evaluating and figuring out what the next step was, and we probably got the best news possible with the fact that it's like a three-week range where we're week to week versus a scenario that could have been month to month."
Hischier missed a 10th straight game when the Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on Tuesday. He has scored three points (two goals, one assist) in five games this season.
Hischier was named Devils captain Feb. 20, the day he made his season debut. He missed the first 11 games because of an offseason foot injury and NHL COVID-19 protocol.
"I did have a conversation with him at the last game and I traded texts with him before he went in (to surgery) yesterday," Ruff said. "And anybody's going to be nervous about that type of surgery, and he was, but we said, 'We'll get you back, we'll get you going.' He was disappointed, obviously, not to be out there playing, but we said, 'We'll pick the right time and we'll have you back and we'll be a better team for it.'"
New Jersey (9-13-4) is seventh in the eight-team MassMutual East Division. The top four teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
