The New Jersey Devils and restricted free agent Luke Hughes continue to be locked in a contract dispute as training camps are right around the corner. Many thought that, given the way President and General Manager Tom Fitzgerald spoke about free agency, stating that “Luke Hughes was his priority this summer,” a deal would have been done by now. But that is not the case.
Devils Rumors: Will New Jersey Trade For Quinn Hughes Next Summer?
While there may be some panic in the streets, along with assumptions and overreactions, the fact of the matter is that Luke Hughes is not going anywhere. Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils are confident a deal will get done. It just may not be at the pace many would have liked. However, with the deadline of training camp approaching, there is still time to make things work.
“Eventually, this will get done. The 11th hour is training camp. Right? A lot of times, a lot of the stuff doesn’t get done until the 11th hour. We’re hoping we can get something done here in quick fashion, and both sides are working hard at it; that’s for sure,” Fitzgerald told James Murphy of RG Media.
However, Luke Hughes is in a delicate situation as DevilsNation.com has documented. The Devils defenseman is a 10.2 (c) restricted free agent, so he didn’t play enough games to be eligible for an offer sheet or arbitration. So the only leverage the player has is holding out and not reporting to camp. That is something neither side wants. Remember, Luke Hughes missed training camp and the beginning of last season after suffering an injury late into his offseason training program.
Devils Rumors: A Top Six Winger Will Cost the New Jersey Devils a Hefty Price
So the Devils want the franchise defenseman in camp and ready to go. The team has seen this picture before with Dawson Mercer last year and Jesper Bratt before that. Not to mention, over the past couple of seasons, when players miss training camp, it not only affects their game but also the team as a whole. Just look at Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale with the Anaheim Ducks a couple of seasons ago, as well as Jeremy Swayman last year with the Boston Bruins. Holdouts lead to injuries. The Devils can ill-afford any more injuries to an already banged-up defence corps.
Since this is now Luke Hughes’s blueline, his agent will likely leverage that in the negotiation process as well. From the way Fitzgerald was talking during free agency, Luke Hughes wants to be in New Jersey long-term. And that is one option that is on the table, as DevilsNation.com has reported. In addition, there are other options on the table, including a bridge deal and the idea floated on the Empty Netters Podcast a few months ago about taking a five-year contract to align with his brother, Jack Hughes, when he becomes a free agent.
Just What Will Luke Hughes Make on His Next Deal with the New Jersey Devils?
As documented on NHLRumors.com, Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period told Dave McCarthy last week on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio that all options are on the table. Still, neither side is concerned, and a deal will be reached before training camp starts.
They definitely discussed both scenarios. Both options in terms of long versus taking a bridge-type contract moving forward. And I think he’s 21 with the way the salary cap is going, a shorter-term deal to keep him within RFA status might be the way to go. But, we’ll kind of see where things end up. I don’t think there’s a concern on really, either side that they’re not going to be able to get something done by the time camp gets going in a little over, what two, three weeks. So obviously, it’s a priority. I think the Devils understand what their options are. I think Luke and his and his agent, Pat Brisson and the guys at CAA understand where they’re at. And obviously the goal is to make sure that he’s ready and ready to go for camp.
Everyone knows how important Luke Hughes is to the New Jersey Devils. But it is clear from the get-go that everything Tom Fitzgerald was going to do this offseason was going to be dictated by the Luke Hughes extension. There is a reason why they didn’t pursue a top-six scoring winger in terms of big game hunting. Lots of the moves Fitzgerald made were ancillary or window dressing to help with the depth scoring.
