The All Blacks winger injured his shoulder when Blues number eight Akira Ioane landed on him in the second half of the match at Eden Park.
"We're hopeful he hasn't got any structural damage in his shoulder, which might mean it's only a couple of weeks, right through to it needs a shoulder reconstruction and then he's out for the season," Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd told Fairfax Media on Sunday.
Milner-Skudder was the most serious of the Hurricanes injury concerns after their clash with the Blues, where the visitors produced a tough defensive effort on their goal line in the final few minutes.
Fellow All Blacks winger Julian Savea was in a supportive cast on his left leg after suffering a foot injury, while hooker Leni Apisai and prop Reg Goodes were treated for concussion.
Loose forward Brad Shields also suffered a deep cut to his thumb that would require a protective splint for a few weeks, though he can play while wearing it, Boyd said.
Boyd expected all but Milner-Skudder to be available for their first game in their home region against Western Force in Palmerston North on Friday.
The Hurricanes, who lost just two games last season before losing to the Otago Highlanders in the final, dropped their first two games in 2016.
They were hammered 52-10 by the ACT Brumbies but showed marked improvement in their 17-16 loss to the Highlanders, before their tenacious performance against the Blues indicated they might be warming into their season.
"To have gone three out of three would've been outstanding, to win two out of three would've been what we were aiming for and to get one out of three is probably a pass mark," Boyd said.
"We're certainly not happy with where we're at (but) there's a hell of a lot more to come."
(Reporting by Greg Stutchbury; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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