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No Contract For Luke Hughes Expected Before Training Camp

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By tomorrow, the negotiation stalemate between the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Luke Hughes will begin eating into the blueliner’s training camp availability. According to Peter Baugh of The Athletic, although both sides continue to discuss terms, no deal is anticipated before the Devils’ first practice tomorrow.

[SOURCE LINK]

  • Moving back to New Jersey, the Devils will no longer have all four players recently signed to professional tryout contracts at training camp. Earlier today, Kristy Flannery of The Hockey News reported that netminder Adam Scheel won’t participate in New Jersey’s training camp, claiming that he’s taken a separate opportunity elsewhere. There have been no reports indicating where Scheel has signed.

Evening Notes: Atlanta, Kane/Toews, Hughes Brothers

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NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke openly about the potential for an expansion team in Atlanta during a media availability on Tuesday. In it, Daly shared that the league hasn’t yet received a full proposal yet, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Wyshynski further points out that a group backed by Krause Sports and Entertainment has received approval on a $3B arena development in Forsyth County, Georgia. They are one of multiple groups vying for ownership over a potential Atlanta squad.

Notably, Daly also voiced support for the idea of expansion overall. He told Wyshynski that the NHL is “uniquely positioned” for more teams because of how deep the player pool has become. Daly pointed towards the growth of smaller hockey markets as evidence of that growth, and said that adding new teams would be no issue for the NHL. That’s a strong bode of confidence towards the idea of expansion, though it doesn’t seem the league isn’t growing any more roots just yet.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • Future Hall-of-Fame winger Patrick Kane spoke with Wynshynski about Jonathan Toews’ return to the NHL. Kane called his former batterymate’s comeback a great story, and remarked that it’s been enjoyable to follow Toews’ return as the two still talk frequently. The conversation led to Kane, once again, receiving the question of whether he’d have interest in moving to his own hometown club, the Buffalo Sabres, in the same way that Toews chose to join the Winnipeg Jets. Kane batted away the question, instead affirming how much he’s enjoyed playing for the clubs he has already played for – including Detroit. He called the Red Wings a team on the rise, and the source of his career’s revival. Kane scored 21 goals and 59 points in 72 games with the Red Wings last season. It brought his total scoring with the club up to 106 points in 122 games – and his career-long scoring up to 1,343 points in 1,302 games.
  • Top New Jersey Devils centerman Jack Hughes also caught attention for interview comments on Wednesday. While participating at the NHL Media Tour, Hughes said that he would love to have a chance to play with his brother Quinn, whether that been in New Jersey or not, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. The storyline of if, and when, the Hughes brothers would reconnect has been a rich one all summer. They’re a close-knit trio of brothers, including youngest brother Luke, with two-thirds currently playing in the Devils organization. But acquiring Quinn would be a near-impossible task for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Quinn is among the league’s best defensemen. He won the 2024 Norris Trophy, and finished last season as a Norris finalist. New Jersey – or, any team – would need to sell the farm to land Quinn. Luckily, he is roughly one month away from his 26th birthday, giving the Hughes brothers plenty of time to regroup with their oldest sibling before he’s past his prime yeras.

Aaron Dell Announces Retirement

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Goaltender Aaron Dell announced his retirement late last night. The 36-year-old wrote on his Instagram page that he’s hanging up his skates after a lengthy professional career that included seven NHL seasons.

“After 13 seasons of professional hockey the time has come for me to hang up the skates and leave my playing days behind me,” Dell wrote. “I wanted to thank all of the people that believed in me and supported me throughout my career. Lots of ups and downs. An undrafted 6 foot tall goalie that was given a chance by the San Jose Sharks organization. When I look at some of the names I had the privilege of working with like Nabokov, Thornton, Pavelski, Marleau, Couture, Karlsson, Burns and so many great players that I will always consider friends, I feel very fortunate.”

The Alberta native began his pro career with the Central Hockey League’s Allen Americans in 2012 after a three-year stint at the University of North Dakota. He split the following season with ECHL Utah before formally joining the Sharks organization in 2014-15, landing a deal with their AHL affiliate at the time in Worcester. After he exploded for a .927 SV% in 26 games for the Woo Sharks down the stretch, Dell landed his first NHL contract and signed a two-way deal with San Jose.

He spent the following year back in the AHL, this time with the San Jose Barracuda, but won a spot on their opening night roster for 2016-17 as Martin Jones’ backup. That began a four-year run for Dell as the Sharks’ primary No. 2 option, including a standout rookie season. He only made 17 starts and three relief appearances behind the workhorse Jones but was excellent when relied upon, posting a .931 SV% and 2.00 GAA with an 11-6-1 record in his first taste of NHL action.

That would end up being the peak for Dell, who was already 27 when he burst onto the scene. He remained a serviceable backup for the coming years and even cracked 30 starts in 2019-20, but by the time he hit free agency that fall amid the pandemic, his averages over his four years in San Jose were a .908 SV% and 2.76 GAA – right around league average for that period.

Dell’s play dipped after that. He signed with the Maple Leafs in 2020 but was claimed by the Devils off waivers before ever playing a game for them. In seven games as New Jersey’s No. 3 option in the shortened 2021 season, he only managed a .857 SV% and 4.14 GAA. From that point forward, he spent most of his time back in the AHL, although he did have brief stints back in the NHL with the Sabres in 2021-22 and a second go-around with the Sharks in 2022-23 as a call-up option. He spent most of 2023-24 on an AHL contract with the Ontario Reign but got an NHL deal from the Kings at the trade deadline to serve as an emergency recall option in the postseason.

Last season, Dell returned to the Sharks organization for a third time on an AHL deal with the Barracuda. He had an .890 SV% and a 3-3-3 record in 10 games for them and a .914 SV% and a 6-6-1 record in 13 games for their ECHL affiliate, the Wichita Thunder.

Dell put a pin in his playing career after recording a .905 SV%, 2.92 GAA, five shutouts, and a 50-50-13 record in 130 NHL appearances. He also had a .912 mark and 11 shutouts with a 70-57-20 record in 155 AHL games in parts of eight seasons.

We at Pro Hockey Rumors congratulate Dell on his career and wish him the best in his post-playing endeavors.

Devils, Luke Hughes At An Impasse Regarding Contract Length

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Aug. 30th: Speaking directly about the negotiations with Hughes in a recent interview with James Murphy of RG Media, Devils General Manager Tom Fitzgerald was quoted as saying, “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.”

Although he didn’t indicate that this was something that Hughes’ camp was directly threatening, Fitzgerald did acknowledge the possibility of a holdout, saying, “At the end of the day, when really the only leverage the player has at this point in their career is holding out, that stinks. I don’t think anyone wins, quite honestly, when that happens. So Pat and I are trying hard to get this thing to come to some common ground.”

Aug. 29th: Aside from Mason McTavish of the Anaheim Ducks, defenseman Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils is objectively the highest-profile restricted free agent remaining from this summer’s class. Unfortunately, according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com, Hughes is expected to remain an RFA unless heavy concessions are made on either side regarding the length of his next contract.

According to Novozinsky’s report, the Devils are focusing on either a two-year bridge deal or a longer-term eight-year extension for Hughes, while the defenseman is requesting a five-year contract. A five-year contract would walk Hughes into unrestricted free agency after the 2029-30 season, the same time that his brother, Jack Hughes, would also become a UFA.

That would only escalate the speculation this offseason regarding the brothers’ desire to play together at some point during their NHL careers. Still, the eldest brother, Quinn Hughes, would have already signed an extension with the Vancouver Canucks, or joined a different organization via free agency by that time.

Regardless of the contract length, New Jersey has some work to do regarding Hughes’ eventual salary. If the Devils acquiesce to Hughes’ contract length demands, it’s unrealistic to assume he would sign for a $6MM AAV, which would be the maximum salary the Devils could afford at the time being. Theoretically speaking, New Jersey can exceed the upper limit of the salary cap by 10% over the summer months, but it would only kick the can down the road to the start of the regular season.

That’s likely why the Devils are prioritizing a shorter-term bridge deal for Hughes, which will likely become the eventual compromise between the two sides. Hughes could pursue a three-year deal in a few years, aligning his request to become an unrestricted free agent with Jack’s timeframe. New Jersey would certainly like to keep both players in the Garden State throughout their careers, but their negotiating power will be significantly restricted once Luke becomes eligible for arbitration.

At any rate, the clock is ticking for both sides. Training camp is only a few weeks away, and this isn’t something that either side will want to drag into the regular season. Ultimately, one side will have to become flexible so that Hughes can start the year on time.

Bratt On Track In Recovery From Shoulder Surgery, Will Be Ready For Camp

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  • The agent for Devils winger Jesper Bratt, Joakim Persson, acknowledged to NJ Advance Media’s Ryan Novozinsky that Bratt will be ready for training camp next month. He underwent shoulder surgery after the playoffs after playing through a nagging issue for multiple seasons but the recovery appears to be fully on track.  Despite the injury, Bratt had a career year last season, leading New Jersey in scoring with a career-high 88 points (21 goals and 67 assists) while chipping in with three points in their five playoff outings.

The Devils Looking To Take Next Step

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  • While the organization has taken several steps forward in recent seasons, the New Jersey Devils believe they are now ready to truly compete for the Stanley Cup. Per NHL.com’s Mike G. Morreale, New Jersey assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon said, “To put it succinctly, it’s time to take another step.”  MacKinnon acknowledged that injuries played a role down the stretch last season, which ended with a five-game, first-round loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Injuries last season included Jack Hughes missing the remainder of the year after undergoing shoulder surgery in March, as well as defensemen Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon going down in Game 1 of the playoffs. All three are expected to be ready to go to start next season, and the additions of veterans like Connor Brown and Evgenii Dadonov should only help the cause. “I think the one thing we were looking for is better 5-on-5 play, and you look at the goal totals of Brown and Dadonov, a majority come at 5-on-5,” said GM Tom Fitzgerald. “We feel we’ve definitely added to what we felt we needed in depth. But, again, you want players to level out and be consistent with their play from October to the end of the season.”

Players Who Could Start The Season On LTIR

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While only a handful of teams project to need cap relief via long-term injured reserve to open the season, multiple candidates across the league might technically qualify for a placement. Doing so would bar the player from returning until Oct. 31 at the earliest – 24 days from the season start date of Oct. 7.

Avalanche: Logan O’Connor

O’Connor underwent hip surgery in early June. Given the five-to-six-month projected recovery window, he won’t be available until early November at best, putting him past the 10-game/24-day threshold required for LTIR. Colorado, which has $2.10MM in current cap space, will likely place O’Connor on standard IR if they don’t make any other cap-affecting moves between now and October. If they need the relief, though, they could create up to O’Connor’s $2.5MM cap hit in cushion for the first few weeks of the season if they need it.

Blues: Torey Krug

St. Louis general manager Doug Armstrong announced in May that Krug’s career is done because of pre-arthritic conditions in his left ankle that surgical intervention only slowly corrected. Since the Blues only have around $625K in cap space, Krug and his $6.5MM cap hit will be going on LTIR as soon as they need the flexibility for a call-up.

Canadiens: Carey Price

What’s certain is that Price won’t play this season or ever again. He’s entering the final season of his contract at a $10.5MM cap hit after confirming nearly two years ago that his knee injury would prohibit him from suiting up again. What’s uncertain is whether or not he’ll begin the season on LTIR. Montreal isn’t in a great position to optimize its LTIR relief, either by matching his cap hit in excess or getting down to $0 in space before placing him on the list. That’s made his contract a trade chip for teams who might need the relief more.

Devils: Johnathan Kovacevic

Kovacevic underwent knee surgery in early May and won’t be ready for training camp and likely opening night as well. Whether that stretches past Oct. 31 and makes him eligible for an LTIR placement if New Jersey needs cap relief early on remains to be seen.

Flyers: Ryan Ellis, Rasmus Ristolainen

Ellis’ career is over after sustaining a wide-ranging muscular injury in his pelvis just four games into his Flyers tenure in 2021. Ristolainen underwent a procedure on his right triceps tendon on March 26 with a six-month recovery time, putting him right on the edge of potential LTIR eligibility. Philly will have a better idea of the latter’s LTIR deployment potential after he undergoes his training camp physical. With $370K in cap space, they’re in a good position for near-max LTIR capture and will almost certainly at least place Ellis there to begin the year to give them call-up flexibility.

Golden Knights: Alex Pietrangelo

Pietrangelo is already on offseason LTIR, meaning the Knights actually still have to add an additional $1.2MM to their roster before opening night to optimize his capture and unlock his full $8.8MM cap hit’s worth of relief for this season. The team confirmed he requires multiple undisclosed but significant surgeries that will likely mark the end of his playing career, but it’s unclear if he’s actually had them done yet.

Jets: Adam Lowry

Lowry underwent hip surgery in late May and won’t be available until after Thanksgiving at the earliest. Winnipeg likely won’t be formalizing an LTIR placement with nearly $4MM in cap space, though.

Mammoth: Juuso Välimäki

Välimäki underwent ACL surgery in early March. He likely won’t end up on LTIR given Utah’s current cap flexibility ($6.68MM), but he’ll be out until at least early November so he’ll be there as an early-season option in case they need relief for whatever reason.

Oilers: Zach Hyman

Hyman’s inclusion here is on the speculative side. The winger could very well be ready for the start of the season. However, there hasn’t been much clarity on how much recovery he still needs after undergoing surgery to repair a severe wrist injury that kept him out of the Stanley Cup Final. A report in early June indicated there was uncertainty about his status for training camp, with no meaningful updates since then.

Panthers: Matthew Tkachuk

Tkachuk told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski earlier this month that he’s still deciding whether he wants to undergo surgery to address the adductor issue that hampered him down the stretch and in the playoffs after sustaining it at the 4 Nations Face-Off. All signs point to him opting for it and spending the next two to three months on the shelf as a result, though. Placing him on LTIR is the only way the Panthers, who currently have a cap exceedance of $3.725MM, can be compliant to start the season without shedding a significant contract, something they aren’t keen to do.

Wild: Jonas Brodin

Minnesota has $9.41MM in cap space, but that number will shrink once they re-sign restricted free agent Marco Rossi (or add salary while trading his signing rights). Neither scenario will likely push them into a situation where they need to use LTIR relief, but they might have Brodin and his $6MM cap hit as an option for some short-term flexibility if required. He underwent an upper-body procedure in early June and is questionable for the beginning of the season, so it’s not yet clear if he’ll miss enough time to qualify.

Poll: Who Will Be The Next RFA To Sign?

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The summer is winding down across the NHL, but a rich group of remaining restricted-free agents are keeping multiple teams from closing their books just yet. There are still multiple top, young players awaiting contracts for the 2025-26 season – including top-line features like Luke Hughes, Marco Rossi, and Mason McTavish. Pending any holdouts, it seems hard to imagine any of the top names not finding a new deal before the start of the season. But who will get the assurance next?

Hughes seems like a confident bet. There’s no denying the warm relationship between his family and the New Jersey Devils organization, and both team and player have already expressed interest in locking up a long-term contract. But that desire has been the exact hang-up in contract negotiations, as the Devils sit with just over $6.1MM in available cap space, per PuckPedia. Hughes scored 44 points in 71 games last year, and 47 points in 82 games in the year prior. That scoring is the second-most from any U23 defender in the NHL over the last two seasons, just behind Jake Sanderson (95 points) and ahead of Brock Faber (76 points).

Both Sanderson and Faber have already found their contracts for the future – each signing eight-year deals with cap hits north of $8MM. That seems to set a clear market for what Hughes, but it’s a price tag that New Jersey is currently priced out of. Landing a new deal with Hughes will seemingly take a gentleman’s agreement, or a supplemental move like parting with the $1.15MM cap hit of Kurtis MacDermid.

New Jersey’s holdups could pave way for Anaheim Ducks center McTavish to land a deal first. McTavish is another undeniable talent, who worked his way to a lofty 22 goals and 52 points in 76 games last season – good for second on the Ducks in scoring. He seems well set up for another big step next season, on an improved Ducks lineup with a new head coach. But McTavish’s continued divide with a rich Ducks team – currently wielding $20.54MM in cap space – has many speculating about what the two sides could be disagreeing on. That dialogue has made McTavish a top option for any team considering a late-summer offer sheet, though Anaheim’s rich cap space would make it tough to successfully buy McTavish. Instead, it seems the two sides will be tasked only with deciding between a short-term bridge deal or a deal that carries McTavish through his prime.

The Minnesota Wild will be facing a similarly challenging question with top center Marco Rossi. Rossi is another player who managed a true breakout last year, with 24 goals and 60 points in 82 games. He stepped into a prime role with the Wild in the second-half of the year, taking on the top-line center role with Joel Eriksson Ek out with injury and routinely earning north of 20 minutes of ice time. Rossi looked up to the task, but then was surprisingly relegated to a fourth-line role for Minnesota’s six postseason games. The Wild are clearly at ends with the question of whether Rossi’s 5-foot-9 frame can stand up to a true #1 role. That hang-up has made Rossi’s situation perhaps the most likely to drag through the pre-season. And still, it’s hard to imagine Minnesota will give up easily on their most recent top-10 draft pick. Rossi could be a strong candidate for a short-term, prove-it contract – which would give Minnesota the time to figure out his lineup role. The Wild sit with just over $9.4MM in cap space.

There are plenty of strong candidates to sign next outside of the big three names. The gap between the Calgary Flames and impressive center Connor Zary has been revealed as narrow. Multiple players have already carved out lineup roles with their signing team, and now only need the deal to prove it – players like Seattle’s Ryker Evans and Nashville’s Luke Evangelista. And other teams are merely one contract away from a full book, like the Vegas Golden Knights with winger Alexander Holtz. Any of those situations could quickly cave, and land another promising young player with the ramp they need for next season.

Who do you think will sign next? Answer in the poll below and let us know why in the comments:

Which RFA Will Sign Next?
Luke Hughes 39.39% (269 votes)
Mason McTavish 22.69% (155 votes)
Connor Zary 14.93% (102 votes)
Marco Rossi 12.15% (83 votes)
Luke Evangelista 10.83% (74 votes)
Total Votes: 683

Mobile users click here to vote.

Devils, Luke Hughes Not Interested In Bridge Deal

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Luke Hughes and the Devils have remained in contract talks throughout the offseason, a luxury they have thanks to the star defender carrying 10.2(c) status that makes him ineligible for an offer sheet. While they remain without a pact, they’re at least aligned on the length of a contract. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox said on yesterday’s Halford & Brough In The Morning radio show on Sportsnet 650 that both sides have focused on a long-term deal, likely a seven-year contract.

That’s in line with the approach New Jersey has taken with their other young stars. They gave forward fixtures Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes seven and eight-year deals, respectively, upon expiry of their entry-level contracts. The younger Hughes, now in the same position, should easily be able to command more than Jack’s $8MM AAV if the Devils are willing to go there.

Evidently, they aren’t. The only two players making more than Jack Hughes on the Devils’ roster were external additions – UFA splash Dougie Hamilton (who was signed before Jack signed his extension) and winger Timo Meier, who was extended shortly after New Jersey paid a steep price to acquire him from the Sharks. There’s also the matter of the Devils’ cap space. They only have $6.1MM to spend, per PuckPedia, although that figure is artificially low. That assumes a full 23-player roster – i.e., they’d naturally open up a bit of space by clearing a spot for Luke – and no LTIR placement for defenseman Johnathan Kovacevic ($4MM cap hit) out of the gate. He had knee surgery in May and won’t be ready for camp.

The Devils thus likely have the short-term flexibility to sign Luke to a long-term deal in that $8MM range, but clearing space once Kovacevic is ready to return might be an issue. There are a few risks with going long-term with Hughes now – for one, he’s still so young that a seven-year deal would make him a UFA at his expected peak following his age-28 season, but those are risks both sides appear comfortable taking. The remainder of their talks, as such, will be purely centered around annual compensation.

There are some candidates for cap-clearing moves, which have already been speculated about at length this summer. Hamilton’s $9MM AAV likely exceeds his market value at this stage of his career, while winger Ondrej Palat’s $6MM price tag is a significant drag after scoring just 28 points in 77 games last season. With both boasting no-movement clauses, though, moving on from either of them is no guarantee.

There are still weeks left of runway for the Devils and Hughes to continue ironing out a deal before camp. Obviously, being same-minded on the rough structure and length of the deal is one fewer hurdle they have to jump over before a deal gets registered.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: New Jersey Devils

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those who don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2025-26 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We’re currently covering the Metropolitan Division, next up are the Devils.

New Jersey Devils

Current Cap Hit: $89,368,333 (below the $95.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Seamus Casey (two years, $950K)
F Arseni Gritsyuk (one year, $925K)
D Simon Nemec (one year, $918.3K)

Potential Bonuses
Casey: $350K
Gritsyuk: $500K
Nemec: $3.25MM
Total: $1.1MM

Gritsyuk has come over after some productive seasons in the KHL to ideally deepen their attack offensively.  His contract has a November 15th European Assignment Clause so even if he starts in the minors with Utica, he can’t stay there for long.  If he can stick with New Jersey full time, he could have a chance of getting at least one of his ‘A’ bonuses.

Casey was quite productive in a limited stint with the Devils last season where he had eight points in 14 games while producing at a similar per-game rate with Utica.  He could be viewed as a regular this season or could be the first recall with the latter making his bonuses unlikely and likely moving him toward a bridge deal in 2027.  Nemec saw very limited time with New Jersey, instead spending a big chunk of the season with the Comets, an outcome he wasn’t too pleased with.  He’s likely to fill a depth role if he’s up with the big club which makes his $1MM in ‘A’ bonuses unlikely.  A short-term second contract makes sense for both sides; if Nemec can lock down a regular role this season, it could land around the $2MM mark.

Signed Through 2025-26, Non-Entry-Level

F Paul Cotter ($775K, RFA)
F Evgenii Dadonov ($1MM, UFA)
G Nico Daws ($812.5K, RFA)
F Juho Lammikko ($800K, UFA)
G Jacob Markstrom ($4.125MM, UFA)*

*-Calgary is retaining an additional $1.875MM of Markstrom’s contract

Potential Bonuses
Dadonov: $2.25MM

Dadonov provided Dallas with some solid secondary scoring last season, notching 20 goals and 20 assists despite playing less than 14 minutes a night.  However, given his age (36), his offers were bonus-laden.  He can hit $1.25MM of those by simply reaching 50 games (250K for each ten) with some additional incentives unlockable by team playoff success.  Given that Dadonov acknowledged his offers were similar to this one, it’s safe to say that this type of structure will likely be what he receives moving forward as well.

Lammikko spent the last three years in Switzerland but was brought back to North America with a one-way deal.  He’s likely to battle for a spot on the fourth line and when you factor in his performance in his first stint in the NHL, there could be a bit of room to grow the contract but he’s likely to stay around the $1MM mark next time out.  Cotter potted 16 goals last season despite being in the bottom six while being one of the more physical players in the league.  That type of output will look good in an arbitration hearing and while they’re not direct comparables, it wouldn’t be shocking if his camp was eyeing the $3MM per season that Columbus gave to Mathieu Olivier a few months ago.

Markstrom had a solid first season in New Jersey, helping to stabilize a position that had its challenges before then.  However, he’ll be 36 when his next deal kicks in.  A three-year deal might be doable but it’d be surprising to see him land around the $8MM mark that some other proven starters have received.  A small raise on his full cap hit could be doable though.  Daws projects to be the third goalie but it would be surprising to see him get through waivers unclaimed so if the Devils don’t want to risk it, they’ll have to keep him up with the big club.  If that happens and his playing time is limited, he might not be able to command much more than his $892.5K qualifying offer.

Signed Through 2026-27

D Brenden Dillon ($4MM, UFA)
F Cody Glass ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Nico Hischier ($7.25MM, UFA)
F/D Kurtis MacDermid ($1.15MM, UFA)
F Dawson Mercer ($4MM, RFA)
F Stefan Noesen ($2.75MM, UFA)
F Ondrej Palat ($6MM, UFA)

Hischier’s contract looked a little risky when it was first signed as he was coming off a 47-point sophomore season.  While expectations were still high for the first-overall pick, this deal wouldn’t have aged well if the offense didn’t come around.  But it did do just that as he has become one of the top defensive centers in the NHL while reaching the 60-point mark in four straight seasons.  Since Hischier started in the NHL at 18, he’ll only be 28 when his next contract begins, meaning he’s a strong candidate for another max-term pact, seven years with New Jersey or six elsewhere.  A sizable raise should be coming his way as he could push past the $9MM mark on his next contract.

Palat’s contract simply hasn’t worked out as planned.  Signed to be a secondary scorer, he instead has seen his per-game output drop to the lowest rates of his career with a corresponding drop in ice time to under 14 minutes per game.  Assuming that trend continues, he’s someone they might be looking to incentivize a team to take while a buyout could be on the table next summer as well.  Palat still has some value but his market rate is less than half of what he’s making.  It wasn’t that long ago that Mercer looked like a can’t-move core piece but his output has tailed off the last two seasons as well.  After putting up 56 points in his sophomore year, he has only put up 33 and 36 since then.  He’ll be owed a $4.25MM qualifying offer two years from now with arbitration rights but as things stand, he’d be hard-pressed to land any sort of notable raise.

Noesen parlayed a pair of quietly efficient seasons in Carolina into this deal, one that more than doubled his career earnings.  The early return looks positive as he’s coming off a career year and played higher up the lineup than he did with the Hurricanes.  If this continues, he could push more toward the $4MM range next time.  New Jersey originally didn’t plan to re-sign Glass but assessed what the center market was going to look like and ultimately brought him back.  He has shown flashes of top-six upside but has largely been a bottom-six option in his career, meaning that this is the price range he’ll continue to be in unless he can break through offensively.  MacDermid has sparsely played in recent years and when he has suited up, playing time has been minimal.  While they’d like to keep an enforcer around, he’s also a candidate to be waived if they need more money to re-sign a certain restricted free agent that we’ll get to shortly.  Given his limited usage, he might be closer to the minimum salary on his next contract.

Dillon was his usual self in his first season with New Jersey.  He was last in ATOI among full-time blueliners but still logged right around his career average in playing time.  He killed penalties, blocked shots, and played with physicality and as we’ve seen in recent years, that profile is starting to cost more.  However, Dillon will be turning 37 early in his next contract so he could be in a spot like Dadonov where he’ll have to go year-to-year moving forward.

Signed Through 2027-28

D Dougie Hamilton ($9MM, UFA)
D Jonas Siegenthaler ($3.4MM, UFA)

In his prime, Hamilton was a premier offensive defender.  He’s not in his prime now but is still an above-average one, albeit one who has dealt with some injury issues the last couple of years.  No longer a top-pairing player, his contract skews toward the above-market side and will likely remain there for the next three years.  By the time he hits the open market again at 35, his price tag might be closer to half of this amount.  Siegenthaler has been a reliable stay-at-home player in New Jersey but, like Hamilton, has had some injury issues.  He’ll need to stay healthier moving forward if he wants to push past the $4MM mark on his next contract.

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