The New Jersey Devils continue to work on an extension for Luke Hughes. We know Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald is looking to get Hughes to sign a long-term deal. He has made it clear that Luke is his number one priority this offseason.
However, it begs the question as to why it hasn’t been done yet. If Luke Hughes wants to be a member of the New Jersey Devils long-term, like his brother Jack Hughes, wouldn’t he have signed it already? We know cap space is limited, but teams can be over the cap in the summer. Not to mention, the Devils can figure out a way to clear cap space either in the offseason or during the year. So, could the restricted free agent be thinking of a short-term to medium-term deal?
Devils Rumors: Tom Fitzgerald Working On Extending Luke Hughes
During the July 8th version of NHL Tonight, the panel, consisting of Bill Pidto, Ken Daneyko, and Mike Johnson, discussed the Luke Hughes contract extension. Johnson brought up the point that he could see Luke betting on himself. Additionally, he mentioned the small caveat that Quinn Hughes will be with the Devils at some point.
DevilsNation.com Transcriptions
Johnson: “Interesting dynamic in this negotiation, in that Luke Hughes hasn’t really popped offensively. He’s very good last year, and he’s been good his whole career.”
Daneyko: “He got way better defensively, steady, consistent.”
Johnson: “But when he was thinking about the contract, because if he goes and gets 70 points next year, he’s going to make Evan Bouchard money, which is $10.5 million. But coming off a 45-point season, he might make $7-$7.5 million on a long-term deal, or $8 million or something like that. And how much does he want to bet on himself? And that upside does eight years make sense?”
Bill Pidto: “Do you go short term if you’re him?”
Johnson: “Maybe. I think he’s good enough that far be it for me to tell anyone to forgo $40 million.”
Tom Fitzgerald: “Luke Hughes is My Number One Priority“
Daneyko: “I think that’s up to Luke Hughes. Obviously, the Devils want to sign him long-term.”
Johnson: “But I’m thinking like, if you’re Luke Hughes say I’ll take four, and I’ll take 28, seven a year for four years, and you’re back to it, and then your brother’s going to be on the team at some point too. Very like the other brother, Quinn. Don’t get ahead of ourselves, but probably two years away, he might be coming as well. So it is a lot of stuff moving around there for him, but he’s so good. Like, like Auston Matthews took a short term contract. These guys who maybe don’t go eight years because they don’t have to, because they’re so good. I almost put him in that category because he has had a chance to really explode offensively, and when he does, his contract will be that much bigger if he wants to go down that path.”
Daneyko: “I will say, just in my opinion, Luke Hughes isn’t that kind of guy, though. It’s not about every single dollar. He’s going to make a lot of money regardless. He seems to be really happy in Jersey. He knows he is a core piece for them on the backend.”
Johnson: “Should he make $1 more than Jack? That would be what I would want if I’m Luke at the dinner table $8 million and one, well, you don’t smile.”
Daneyko: “The brothers will figure that out.”
The New Jersey Devils Should Not Trade Dougie Hamilton Just to Clear Cap Space
But the guys over at the NHL Network were not the only ones thinking that Luke Hughes should take a short-term deal. Dan Powers, over at The Empty Netters Podcast, also believes that Luke Hughes should bet on himself.
“If I were Luke Hughes, I would sign a bridge deal. Can you be Luke Hughes and make more than Jack? Realistically? Yes, because Jack signed that deal a while ago. Times are changing. Like you gotta get this kid. However, if I were Luke Hughes, I would probably sign a two-by-seven. Jack is signed until 2030. You’re only 21, maybe you sign a four-year bridge at eight, then you’re making the same than both you get paid on the same day. To me, it’s either. I would either sign a deal that expires the exact same year as Jack at probably the same number.”
So now it comes down to the numbers for the player and the team. As Fitzgerald has noted, this contract comes down to what works best for the team and the player. However, what works best for the team is buying up Luke Hughes’s UFA years, rather than letting him sign an Evan Bouchard deal.
Devils Offseason: What Will New Jersey Do on Defense?
Locking Luke Hughes into a long-term number makes things easier for the New Jersey Devils moving forward when the cap rises. Fitzgerald will have a fixed number and can work around it to add players instead of worrying about another negotiation in just a couple of years’ time.
But there is a case to be made that the Devils’ young defenseman could hit it big twice on two contracts moving forward.
