The biggest issue facing the New Jersey Devils as the offseason drags on is when restricted free agent defenseman Luke Hughes will sign his new contract.
Devils President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald stated before the July 4th holiday that Hughes was a priority. But the contract is still not signed. It was clear from all the off-season moves that everything New Jersey did roster-wise was tied to the Luke Hughes extension. A big reason has been the salary cap. New Jersey only has $6 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia.com.
Mike Rupp Says New Jersey Devils Blueline is Led by Luke Hughes Now
The belief has always been that the Devils would clear cap space first before the Hughes extension was complete. However, as DevilsNation.com has documented, there are different options on the table for the Devils. Make the trade now, make the trade after the deal is signed, or wait until Johnathan Kovacevic is on LTIR to make a move to get Hughes’s new deal under the cap.
But many are asking when, how long, and how much Luke Hughes will sign his deal for with the New Jersey Devils. As DevilsNation.com has documented, the team and player want to get a long-term extension worked out. However, with an ever-changing salary cap landscape, the number could be higher than some initially thought.
Bleacher Report Insider Frank Seravalli spoke on New Jersey Devils restricted free agent defenseman Luke Hughes in his latest rumours segment and was asked what his next contract could look like.
“We’ll start off with Luke Hughes. And we heard Tom Fitzgerald, the New Jersey Devils General Manager, say right as free agency was wrapping up that he had no bigger off season priority than getting Luke Hughes signed to a new deal.
NHL Rumors: New Jersey Devils and Luke Hughes Still Need to Work Out a Deal
Again, mid August, no deal has materialized yet. And I feel like this might be a little bit more of a difficult one, because with his brother, and number one overall pick, Jack Hughes, coming out of entry level, he signed that eight-year deal in relatively quick fashion. And I think at the time, the security is always massive. But now look at Jack Hughes and see, with a 100-point season under his belt, how much that contract is underpaying him. Maybe Luke Hughes, on the back end, is incentivized to take a bit of a shorter-term deal, or perhaps a mid-term deal.
And these contracts that you see on the screen, here are projections from our friends at AFP Analytics, who have been spot on with a ton of contract evaluations and the market for the past few years now.
They’re putting Luke Hughes at six years times $8.4 million. Does that seem just right? Too high? too low? Is it fair? I’d say at first glance, this seems to be sort of right within that wheelhouse. It’s certainly going to feel expensive for the New Jersey Devils, but they’re going to have to figure it out, and they’re going to have to get these guys locked up.
I think the one big thing that the Devils have going for them is some leverage. They’ve got a guy who is obviously probably pretty happy playing with his brother in New Jersey. For a team that, under Shelton Keefe, had a tough season last year, but I think has the makings to be a big bounce-back team this upcoming season. He’s going to be a big part of that, and a pretty young back end to start.
Just What Will Luke Hughes Make on His Next Deal with the New Jersey Devils?
So, I like where New Jersey is heading. I think getting Luke Hughes signed is going to be absolutely critical, and we’re going to have to see where that number comes in at. I could also see that deal coming in a few years, less than six.”
Despite Seravalli’s misconception, the Devils had a tough year under Keefe. Injuries-wise, yes, record-wise, they were the second-best defensive team in the NHL. Luke Hughes was a big reason why when injuries struck the backend in the second half of the season.
As most have noted, they think the new Luke Hughes deal could fall around the eight-year deal at $8.5 million. Defenseman Brock Faber signed with the Minnesota Wild; however, as DevilsNation.com noted, there is a thought that he could sign at the same AAV as his brother, Jack Hughes, at $8 million.
Devils Analyst Ken Daneyko Believe Luke Hughes Will Sign a Long Term Deal
The Devils want to get that number under $8 million a season to help fill needs moving forward, even with a rising salary cap. New Jersey still needs to sign Jacob Markstrom to an extension, along with getting a goal scorer. So the Devils have to be wise with their money and not overextend themselves.
Again, Luke Hughes is a 10.2 (c) restricted free agent, so he didn’t play enough games to be eligible for an offer sheet or arbitration. Thus, this long-term deal the Devils are hoping he will sign will only buy up his restricted free agent years, not his unrestricted free agent years.
But the two sides continue to grind it out, and there shouldn’t be a fear of Luke Hughes missing training camp. This contract between Hughes and the New Jersey Devils will get done. It’s not a matter of if but when at this point.
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