According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the New Jersey Devils are closing in on a seven-year, $63MM contract with their lone remaining restricted free agent, Luke Hughes. The Devils quickly confirmed the contract, also sharing that Hughes will join the team for practice tomorrow.
Shortly after New Jersey’s confirmation, PuckPedia announced Hughes’ contract details:
- Year 1: $8MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
- Year 2: $8MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
- Year 3: $9MM salary
- Year 4: $9MM salary
- Year 5: $9MM salary
- Year 6: $9MM salary, 10-team no-trade clause
- Year 7: $9MM salary, 10-team no-trade clause
After forward Mason McTavish agreed to a six-year deal with the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday, the contract dispute between Hughes and New Jersey became the longest one from the offseason. Recently, there was concern that the standoff might prevent Hughes from starting the year on time. After this morning’s announcement, we know that won’t be the case.
The $9MM AAV will tie Hughes with Dougie Hamilton as the highest-paid player on the Devils. Additionally, the seven-year deal makes Hughes the only player on the team signed beyond the 2030-31 NHL season.
Most importantly, it’ll take Hughes through most of the prime years of his career. He’ll have the opportunity for another payday upon the deal’s expiration after turning 29 years old, though the Devils will reap all the benefits from his age-22 to age-28 seasons.
Over the past two years, similarly to his brothers Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes, Luke has shown a keen ability to move the puck and generate offense. Since the beginning of the 2023-24 season, the former fourth-overall pick of the 2021 NHL Draft has scored 16 goals and 91 points in 153 games, with four goals and 41 of those points coming on New Jersey’s power play. A gradual introduction to the NHL was unnecessary for the offensive-minded defenseman, as Hughes is already averaging more than 21 minutes of action a night.
Still, the Devils will hope for some maturity on the defensive side of the puck as he progresses through his career. Despite averaging a 54.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, Hughes’ 88.7% on-ice save percentage at even strength leaves much to be desired. Still, New Jersey has offset most of Hughes’ defensive shortcomings by placing him next to Brett Pesce, who’s been one of the most defensively acute blue liners for the past decade. The pair combined for a 53.1% xGoals% last season, according to MoneyPuck.
The Devils still have some work to do with their available salary cap space. The team is expected to place defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic ($4MM AAV) on long-term injured reserve to start the 2025-26 campaign, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery. As James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now points out, the Devils will only save approximately $3.8MM of Kovacevic’s salary per the new rules of the CBA, projecting them $183K over the upper limit to start the season.
That financial gap is more than manageable, and it’ll give New Jersey time to work out a larger cap-clearing deal. The two likeliest candidates are Hamilton and Ondrej Palat, though both have limited no-movement and no-trade protection in their contracts. Still, by having Hughes in the mix for the next seven years, the Devils are in a much better position than they were yesterday.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images.
Great deal for the Devils right? RIGHT?
Great news for Lane Hutson
Wow, a bunch of the local know-it-all’s are in a nice slump. They’ve been yapping about Kirill Kaprizov not signing with the Wild and Luke Hughes not signing with the Devils and, shockingly, they were wrong again. Keep it up fellas. Go for the record.
Trolls troll
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Gotta play to your strength.
Never scored more than 9 goals. Is a minus player every year. This contract is more about his brothers than him.
Bad take. They needed to sign her to ensure Jack stays and hopefully Quinn comes. But it’s also not an overpay and referencing his goals is missing the point. Great for carrying the puck into the zone and his end to end ability. I imagine his two way ability will mature every year.
I don’t care what you think about Luke Hughes’ potential this is a massive overpay for a guy with one full season under his belt and really no superstar results yet. This contract I do think most likely will look better with age but to me this is pure silliness at this moment.
And I don’t think anyone in the NHL cares what you think about anyone’s potential. Teams have paid for potential for decades and will continue to do so. And maybe numbers aren’t your strong suit as saying he has “one full season under his belt” is not exactly accurate with a quick look at his player page. And yes when a 20 year old D-man is putting up near 50 points that is generally considered elite talent even if he could improve a bit in his own zone.
Well gm’s have two options you either pay for future potential or you pay for your past performance both come with risks.
Mis-gender much? I know, blame auto-correct!
Frank Nazar’s is cheaper and he looks really good for only 54 NHL games for 7 years at like $6.5M? Luke Hughes at $9M isn’t as bad as Kaprizov at $17M AAV, Kaprizov is getting $5M over his comparable value and is already in his prime while Hughes still has more room for growth, and a potential buyout would be 1/3 of his contract because of his age if he becomes a bust, a lot less risk for NJ overpay that could possibly work than Minnesota with a player at his peak
and theres less risk factor with young players as a buyout would be 1/3 of the contract if it doesn’t pan out, i think Hughes will get better too and his value will be more likely to match his contract that Kaprizov’s overpay by atleast $5M
If it is an overpay, please tell us what they could have signed him for, and why they didn’t. Thanks.
Looks like this will be the year to prove he can QB the power play and hope the Devil’s can unload Hamilton at the deadline or next summer?
Then what? Hope with a weak forward group and elderly goalie tandem that they’ll have the opportunity to pay Quinn Hughes $14M a year?
The super soft charmin devils add another fragile piece to mom’s china set.
Encase him in bubble wrap and set him free.
The money is definitely flying around right now.
He is making Kucherov and Point money now.
Hamilton to Detroit for Berggren and a 3rd
I think all things equal they’d prefer Karlsson.
Hamilton should be cheaper if they take his full cap hit. And at least Dougie is better at defense.
Idk EKs cap hit isn’t the full $10M and he’s only got two years and has been healthier. And doesn’t have the level of trade protection that Hamilton does.
Yeah, well Karlsson has a full NMC and does not want to go to Detroit. But if he does, him at $7M and only 2 yrs is better than Dougie, but he will be more expensive because Pitt does not need the Cap dump.