How Come The Devils Haven’t Extended Luke Hughes?…What’s Next This Offseason? (Ft. Jim Biringer)

How Come The Devils Haven’t Extended Luke Hughes?…What’s Next This Offseason? (Ft. Jim Biringer)

Jim Beeringer from Full Press Hockey joined me on today’s episode to reflect on the Devils off season so far and some of his expectations heading into the new year. We also talked about the holdup regarding Luke Hughes’s contract. There’s a lot to break down in today’s episode of Locked on Devils alongside Jim. Buckle up everybody. You’re Locked on Devils, your daily podcast on the New Jersey Devils, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Hi, this is Bryce Salvador and you’re locked on Devils with Trey Matthews. Elliot scores. Oh, Steven, nailed it. Rodor’s got the puck. What a shot. The Devils win the Stanley Cup. Allighty now. What is up, New Jersey? Welcome back to the Lockdowns podcast here at the Lockdown Network. I’m your host Cot Hockey Club play announcer Delirey Pucks pitchforks and also part-time credential mia member Trey Matthews joined alongside my buddy from full press hockey Jim Bearinger also known as one of the most underrated content creators for the Devils has some great behind the scenes insight Jim you’re always my go-to guy for a lot of things first and foremost how you doing well Trey thanks for having me on glad Glad to be back here on Locked on Devil’s Podcast. Uh glad to be back on the network. Summer’s going good. We’re hit that low. You know, everybody needed a break. You know, we had that cramp schedule at the end of the season. Now everybody’s just chilling, getting ready. Maybe we’ll see some things Augustish. Maybe. We’ll see. I don’t know. Again, that lull in the season. But I’m doing well. I’m glad to be here. Glad to be talking to Devils hockey because it’s been quiet on that front. Yeah. Yeah, I just want to uh go off topic a little bit. I I saw you on Locked on Panthers with uh my guy Armando. How was that? It was great. Great experience. Armando, good dude. Uh glad to be talking some Panthers hockey. Uh not only a lot of good Devils followers on my Twitter account on social media, but the Panthers fan base as well. Shout out to those guys as well. So, you guys do great work. Glad to be a part of uh you know, you guys’ show bringing in some insight information to everybody. So, uh, I can’t wait can’t wait to get into Devils today instead of Panthers. So, I’m ready. For anyone who’s curious, Jim’s covered the last two Stanley Cup final runs by the Florida Panthers, back-to-back champions. I know people wanted the Devils to target Sam Bennett and also Brad Marian, but it was pretty enticing for them to return to the Panthers to run it back there. they they would have taken a whole lot of money and a whole much better offer for them to walk away. But you know what? Let’s focus on what the Devils do have, which is they reunited with Jake Allen extended him. Cody Glass extended him. Little too much money for my liking, but I’ll live with it. Connor Brown, Evenny Donov, Jim, please give me some good news here. What What are your expectations? I mean, look, I think like I’ll say this. I’ll said this in other spots I’ve been on. The Devils are a playoff team in my opinion. They’ll be top two Metro. Like, they should be in the playoffs. The the Metro division is pretty weak, right? So, New Jersey should be battling for the top spot in that division. Like, it seems to be, right? They get the good tandem back. Tom Fitzgerald’s loved this tandem. Marshmall and Allen work so well together. It’s unfortunate that because everybody’s got to remember Nico Daws is on a one-way contract this year, not a two-way. So, if they try to sneak him through waiverss to get him to the AHL, uh, he might be gone from New Jersey unless they try to trade him. So, again, Nico Daws may not be a part of this team, but that’s okay because they got a lot of good young goalie prospects coming. So, they got their guy of the future coming, but this is the tandem they want to roll with. Look, Connor Brown, good depth player. If Genny Ddonov good depth player, are they needle movers in the top six? No. But they give depth and some size and a little bit of well Donov not so much speed, but Conor Brown a little bit more speed helps with the penalty kill all situations with Connor Brown. But I like, you know, I don’t want to say I liked what happened, but I will say for what was available on the free agent market and everybody pretty much stayed home outside of Nikolai Eers, there was a lot of overpayments in free agency. So, I think the best thing that Tom Fitzgerald did was to just take care of his own guys because let’s be honest, you’re going to be overpaying for a lot of these guys if you were going to try to like make a deal for a top line, top six free agent like Mel Gandling got three years at $7 million. Not sure the Devils could have afforded $7 million considering that they’re up against the cap. Obviously, we know Luke Hughes needs a new extension. Maybe it’s trade somebody again. Jonathan Kovvich is going to be on LTIR to begin the year. So, they have some cap space later on to use, but right now, I mean, this is the best they could do because they still have to get that number uh with Luke Hughes, and that’s what they’ve been working on. Yeah. I mean, look, I I’ve said on my show, these are solid additions, don’t get me wrong, but similar to what you said, they’re not needle movers. For Connor Brown, you and I talked about it before the recording. He’s had the chance to play with a lot of all-time great players. I even asked him about it during his media availability when he first signed with the Devils. He’s played with obviously Conor McDavid. Those two go way back to their Eerie Otter days in the OHL. Then you got Austin Matthews, Alexander Ovetchkin. He he’s played with a lot of all-time great players. And you said that Brown, while he might be a solid addition, don’t expect to do don’t expect him to do what he did with Edmonton. Don’t tell me, please don’t tell me that’s true, Jim. I mean, look, obviously, when you’re able to play with Conor McDavid and go to Stanley Cup final, back-to-back years, there’s a certain style that that is being played out there by Chris Nlock, and Conor Brown was a big part of it. Now, don’t forget Conor Brown was coming off some injuries. is he had to revitalize his career when every when Connor Brown signed in Edmonton everybody’s like Connor Brown really Connor Brown look I think he’s he’s a good player he’s a solid player he’s going to be a good depth piece to this team but do I expect him to ever play with Jack Hughes probably not um if he does then the Devils have more issues than everybody thinks they do because of their top six right now um but I think he’s a good penalty killer and that’s what they’re going to need because maybe that is a replacement if they decide to make a trade somewhere. Now, I also look at the Donoff as well. Do I expect 20 goals out of him? Not really. If he’s going to be playing on the fourth line or on the third line, maybe 10 to 15, maybe. Like, that’s expectation for me. Again, they’re good additions. Are they great additions? No. But for what was supposed to be a weak free agency class, which it is, this is the the best the Devils could do. I mean, again, remember Cody Glass wasn’t supposed to be qualified. He was supposed to hit the free agent market and then everybody wanted to grab him. So, the Devils decided, hey, we got to keep him. Look, to me, I think the best thing for the New Jersey Devils to do is you got to just win these internal battles. They got some guys coming in. Let’s see how everything plays out in training camp. But again, the off season of what it was supposed to be for everybody right now has just like kind of just been average. And it it sucks to see. And I saw on social media that somebody said that Ddonov should play on the same line as Jack Hughes and I’m just like absolutely 100% no no no chance. No chance too slow. Too slow. Too old. Um and you saw it in Dallas. He was in Pete Dor’s doghouse at times. Everybody questioned during the playoffs why Donov wasn’t in the lineup at times. And again that’s a that could be a Pete Dbor thing. But well, remember D’Vor made a questionable goalie change that ultimately gave him the can. Yeah. Well, that everybody knows about that one. Um and Ager still not happy about that. And the Dallas Stars are not happy about that. Nor should he. Aer is one of the best goalies in the league. Like, you know, you got to ride your your go-to goalie, right? Exactly. Like New Jerseyy’s doing, right? Like again, that’s why they brought back Jake Allen, right? Like could you imagine if like remember the uh game five against the Hurricanes? People forget Markstrom didn’t have a good period. No, he didn’t. It was three nothing after the first, right? The Devils were in prime position to win that game, but Marstrom didn’t have his best few minutes, but he saved the Devils in OT many times. He he g not not once, but twice that that game went into double overtime. Could you imagine if Sheldon Keith just said, “Okay, Marky, you’re out. Jake, you haven’t appeared at all during the playoffs. go in while being cold, while the Hurricanes are redot. That’s a death sentence. That Oh, yeah. I mean, like, that’s a fireball offense. I’m sorry. It is. Um, but look, you have two good goalies in New Jersey. That’s why they brought Allen back again. Five years. All right. That whatever that the cat pit is what it is, right? However, like I said, New Jersey has other issues other places. is like we can all criticize these depth moves and these depth players and everything like that, but for me, I think everything hinged on what Luke Hugh’s extension was going to be, and I think that’s why the moves we expect from this team haven’t happened yet. Before we continue with today’s episode, let me tell you guys about FanDuel. Summer sports are in full swing, and whether you’re all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, or high stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You’re already following the action. Why not make it a little more thrilling with FanDuel? You can get in on the game while your friends are getting sunburned at the beach. I’ve been using FanDuel to track my favorite matchups. And the app makes it fresh with new daily promotions and fun ways to bet. It’s easy to use, fast to pay out, and makes even regular season games feel like mustwatch events. Whether I’m placing a same game parlay or watching a bet ride into the ninth inning, FanDuel makes it feel like I’m a part of the action. New to FanDuel? New customers can bet just $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Open the FanDuel app today or visit fanuel.com to get started. Please remember to always gamble responsibly. Okay, let’s get back to today’s discussion. Take it away once again. Let’s talk about the big thing, which is Luke Hughes’s contract. Now, you and I talked about it during the draft. you hit me up while I was in Los Angeles because I was anticipating for the Devils to make a move at around that time because they didn’t have a first round pick. So, I was just hanging around the Peacock Theater. I don’t know if you know where that is. Yeah, I know where that is. Right next to the Staple Center. I was just hanging around Peacock Theater watching the the draft drag out for nearly five hours, which was horrible. It was horrendously bad. I I will never do that again unless they change it. But digressing a little bit, I was just waiting for the Devils to make a move. And you told me like Trey, you might have to wait because it’s going to come down to Andre Palot, Douggee Hamilton, Dawson Mercer. Can the Devils get one of those contracts off the books? Extend Luke Hughes and then you go from there. But we are well past uh the the free agency opener. Now we’re in late July. August is right around the corner. Luke Hughes is still a restricted free agent. doesn’t have to go to arbitration, thank God, because he’s not eligible for it. So, Devils still have that power, but he’s still not officially signed long term. And you still got Andre Palot, you still got Dawson Mercer, you still got Douggee Hamilton. Jim, what’s going on? Well, I mean, let’s let’s start off. I’m going to take the latter piece of this first. Douggee Hamilton is not going anywhere. Like, I’ve talked to multiple people. Douggee Hamilton is not going anywhere. Um, there’s been despite the rumors and reports about the Devils listening, it’s all well and good. teams are interested. Guess what? He’s a hot command. He’s a right shot defenseman. The Devils need a right shot defenseman. If you’re going to tell me, and I got heat for saying this, but I’ll say it again here, and I’ll double and triple down on this. If you want to go through the year defensively like they had after they lost Ryan Graves and Damon Severson, be my guest and go ahead and get Doggy Hamilton out of here because you’re going to ask Simone Nemes and Sheamus Casey to step up and fill roles. And that didn’t work. That didn’t work. It didn’t work. It didn’t work a couple years ago. No, it didn’t work. Worse, right? And that’s why Tom Fitzgerald last off season completely revamped the defense. So Jonathan Kovich starts the year on LTIR. Well, then now you have Brett Peshy, Simone Neich, and Sheamus Casey as your D. And no, like you can’t do that. So Douggee is not going anywhere. Yeah. Maybe down the road eventually, like maybe down the line if we see progress from these guys and say, “Okay, these guys could be everyday NHL defenseman, fine.” But he’s not going anywhere. The two I always look at are Andre Palot and Dawson Mercer. Now, here’s the caveat. I will say this, and I’ve talked to some people about this, and this is a possibility option that’s on the table. Like as I said, Jonathan Kovvich will start the year on LTIR. He is not going to training camp. He’s not going to start the season. That’s well known. Well, that means $4 million goes on to LTIR. You do not technically have to make that trade right now. You can still sign Luke Hughes because you would be under the cap at the start of the season because it’s $4 million that come off the books for him. So they can sign him to that extension. The here’s now I’ve been talking to some people about this. When I hear Fitzgerald talk about how he wants to be there long term, he wants to be there like his brother. Don’t forget Nico Heir and Jack Hughes signed early into their final years of their entry level deal. I mean it was like right it felt like it was right away. I’d have to go back and look at when they actually signed those deals, but it felt it was like relatively quick these deals were done. Yes. Brat took a longer time. He had some contract issues. You feel like with the way the defense market is, this should be easy to figure out. Okay. And the number I’ve heard is seven between seven and seven and a half million. If you go to eight on a five-year deal, that means both brothers are ending up at the same time going to be UFA. Not sure New Jersey wants to do that. You kind of want to offset those years. They want to get them locked in the eight-year deal. Seven, eightyear deal. That’s what they want to do before the CBA rules change. Don’t forget that the max terms are going to change soon. So, they want to get him locked in. Again, Favors 8 and a half. Do Dobson’s nine and a half. Is he in that caliber yet? To me, I think and does he want to make less than his brothers? Like, if say eventually down the line Quinn Hughes gets here, you know, he’s going to be the highest paid brother on the team because of what he brings defensively and he’s a left shot defenseman. So again, that’s a whole another can of worms. But to me, I think this deal needs to get done unless they really drag this thing out and it gets announced day one of training camp. Again, Luke wants to be there. Devils want him there. Got to meet in the middle on term movement, all this stuff. They’re going to get it done. And they took the holiday, take some time to just, okay, let’s just calm down a little bit. Let’s figure out where everybody wants to be. But again, I’ve heard that number between seven seven and a half million. That’s been the number I’ve heard for a while. Yeah. And so, let me go and back you up on all your points for Douggee Hamilton. I wholeheartedly agree. I look, I I know a lot of people look at his contract and they’re just like, he might be a little overpaid. And yeah, you might be right, but also keep in mind if it weren’t for Douggee Hamilton, New Jersey wouldn’t be a hot spot. Hamilton really put the Devils back on the map when he signed that deal a few off seasonasons ago when he was a UFA. So, he deserves credit for that. Second, Douggee helps the Devils offensively. Oh, 100%. One of the Would you say that Douggee has one of the best slap shots in the NHL? Yeah, since the day he was drafted and came into the league, like he’s done it for the teams he’s played for. He made Boston’s power play really good. He made Calgary’s power play really good. Carolina’s power play really good. He’s made New Jersey’s power play really good. Like, he’s got a great shot. So, you’re going to take a right shot defenseman who’s got a great shot off your power play. That’s not winning hockey. No. And the numbers show the Devils don’t exactly take a leap forward when Douggee is not in the lineup, whether he’s injured or what what have you. The Devils don’t exactly improve. And and my question is like, okay, who’s going to fill his role? You want you want to give it to Shimon Nemits or Sheamus Casey? No offense to them. They’re great players. But here’s the problem. Shimon Nemitz, he hasn’t proven that he can do it consistently. He’s taken steps of improvement. I will give credit where credit is due. But do you really want do you really trust him? And Nemits even says that he focuses more on defense and less on offense. His words, not mine. He told Chico Rush that. And for Sheamus Casey, the dude is 5’10. He’s undersized. He’s a great offensive weapon on the blue line. I can’t take that away from him. But the reason he has limited minutes, the reason why Sheldon Keith finds it easy to bench him at times is because he he’s not really that imposing defensively to the point where I’m just like, you got to make him a forward because he’s Yeah. It’s not like it’s not like Lane Hudson up in in Montreal, right, where he he can show on both sides of the puck that hey, he’s great offensively. He can move the puck, but his defensive ability in his own zone, you know, he he can use his skating and his ability to make up for some of the stuff that he lacks. And he’s put on some size up there, too. So, yeah, Casey, yeah, it’s easy to say, “Hey, yeah, we can bench him and stuff.” Again, this is why I say, do you really want to Okay, it’s all well and good. You can trade him for a forward. Great. Top six forward. Now you have to cover up mistakes through your defense. Now you have to outscore your problems. And now you got and and you still got Jonathan Kovich. And and and is Jonathan Kovich really a top four defenseman in the league? Like he did it last year. That’s great. But can he follow it up? And also now you’re relying on two 30-year-old mid30y old goalenders to carry you. Well, look, I I have the utmost faith in Jonathan Kova Savage. You know, I I I was high on him last year when the Devils first acquired him. I said, “Don’t don’t underestimate him. He’s actually really good.” I’m just saying like to consistently do that every year and now you’re behind the eight-ball and expect him to jump back in where I’m hearing he may be out December, January, like really that I mean, look, that’s I mean, these knee surgeries and these things, these injuries, they they take time. Well, here’s the thing. Remember the the the league will take two weeks off in February due to the Olympics. So if he’s not ready to go until like late January, do you think there’s a possibility they’re just like we’ll wait until after the Olympics just to give him ample time? They could again report down or send him down. They might have He’s definitely going to get a conditioning st in the AHL. That is a given. That is 100% a given. Like do you talk to people around the league? If guys come off long-term injuries, surgeries, they’re going down the NHL for conditioning set. We just saw Gabriel Andiskog do that before he came back and he did well. He did well. So, I think New Jerseyy’s got to ease him back into this lineup. That’s why Douggee is so important. Brett Peshi’s really good, too. You need these veterans on this defense. That’s why it makes no sense to get rid of him just for a goal scorer. It just didn’t make sense. it. To me, I’m thinking as a general manager, why would I hurt my own chances of improving and try to win playoff games and try to get back to playoffs and lose a key piece like that? Like, that doesn’t make sense. And my last point is I I don’t think Douggee is as bad as advertised because you know who led the the team in giveaways? Jonathan Kova Savage. Yeah. So, I mean, why isn’t Kova Savage besides Sheldon Keefe? Hell, because you know, Sheldon called him out one time. Yeah, he did. Why Why doesn’t people Why don’t people give Well, I mean, another one like a lot of people give me slack. And I’ll say this, too. And Luke Hughes turns the puck over, too. Like, Hughes turns the puck over. Jack Hughes turns the puck over. They all turn the puck over, right? So, you got to figure out a way to limit turning the puck over and limiting chances by the opposition if they could play the right way. Again, last year it was a new system for everybody. Right now, you have another off seasonason with Sheldon Keith’s system. The expectations, everything like that. Again, Tom Fitzgerald has said this multiple times. Expectations are higher now. Okay? If expectations are higher now, why would he get rid of a guy like Douggee Hamilton? Keeping Hamilton keeps them in playoff contention. You are absolutely right. I do agree with you. But let’s let’s move on to the final segment of today’s show, which is expectations for Devils. We said solid additions of Genny Ddanov and Connor Brown extending Jake Allen, Cody Glass. I was like, “Okay, we’re we’re we’re not going to go with Nico Daws. It looks like his time as a devil will come soon to an end.” Um, but I’m just like I would give the Devils a C or a C plus for this offseason because it’s like, you know, it it’s not the best, but it’s not the worst. It’s kind of average like, you know, you just shrug your shoulders. Metro’s weak. I think I have no doubt there’ll be a playoff team barring anything catastrophic happening or Jack Hughes getting injured once again. Um, what are the expectations, Jim? Like, uh, Ben, let’s be realistic here. I mean, let’s if we’re being realistic, I think the expectations should be playoffs, right? And you should expect them to win a round, right? Depending on if they finish first or second in the Metro, right? I think that’s realistically that should be expectations. If you’re a fan and you say, “Hey, we got to the playoffs last year. We need to get back this year and we need to win around. Like, we need to show progress.” And this team is is a playoff team. Like, as it stands now, this team is a playoff team. They’re not worse. They may not be better, but they’re right there. Like you said, I think it’s a C average. I think it’s passing grade for me uh on on on giving them an offseason grade. It’s not the A that they got last year, right? Balance. Maybe it balanced out to an A minus because you didn’t get the top six forward, but you know, it’s a C, right? May now if you make a move, you move out of Dawson Mercer or Palot, maybe shed some salary someplace, get the extension done, maybe it goes to a C plus B minus, right? But again, the expectation should be playoffs for this team because they are a playoff team. There’s no excuse for this team not to make the playoffs. Again, saying borrowing something catastrophic, um, injuries and all that, but injuries can’t be an excuse anymore. There’s expectations on the general manager, expectations on this team. Let me just add this or age. I’m tired of narrative. There is no excuse because injuries happen to every team and other teams find a way to get to the playoffs and win playoff rounds. So that is out of the that is no longer an excuse for this team, right? Age, all that stuff. Pressures on Tom Fitzgerald to get the job done in New Jersey. The Devils have to make the playoffs and they have to win around. That should be expectations for this team. I I if I’m setting the bar too high, then maybe, you know, the Devils should are okay with mediocre because to me, you got to win a playoff round this year. You have to show progress. I agree with you wholeheartedly. We’ll see what happens. Um my expectations for them are playoff team and win a round. That’s all I can ask for at this point. Those are fair. That’s fair. That’s very fair. They haven’t done anything to show to me that they are a championship contending team. Especially when you got a team like the Panthers running it back. The Oilers might still, you know, have some life in them. You never know. Yeah, exactly. I mean, Panthers are still the same team that they were. They’re they’re the standard in the National Hockey League. Uh, you know, do we, you know, Columbus is a little bit better in the division. Washington’s still kicking around. Toronto’s still a good team. Ottawa’s bet. Like the teams are there like you got to show what you are on the ice. Team has to buy in. Expectations have to be high and you know hopefully New Jersey gets back to the playoffs. That should be the ultimate goal is to get to the playoffs and then go play your game because they have the goalending to do it. They can play solid defensively gets goal scoring depth scoring and I don’t want to hear about metrics about depth scoring. You either have it or you don’t and they fit the system perfectly. So, it’s going to be on Sheldon Keefe to get these guys to play and the players to buy in. And that’s what it comes down to. Well, for the first time in years, I could say their goalending is not an issue. Nope. Not anymore. So, Luke Hughes, he will get extended. It’s just not if, it’s when. I think Andre Palot, he’s got to get out of here. That it just hasn’t worked. He was a consolation prize after the Devils. Struck out with many top-notch players, including the late great Johnny Goodro. May God rest his soul. Um yeah, I mean, we’ll we’ll we’ll see what happens. Um they need to take a page out of the Rangers playbook. I I hate to say this, but the the front office there, they know how to unload on contracts, and you got to figure it out. Gotta figure out a way to move a contract or two. Can’t Again, I’ll say this, too. I’ve said this other places. You can’t be afraid to move on from players or prospects that you’ve drafted to improve your team. Too many teams you’re seeing, too many teams that are struggling in the league uh are afraid to let go of players because they don’t want change their nucleus. Maybe it’s time for certain guys to go. And they did say they have some tough decisions to make, but some of the tough decisions were pretty easy ones in my opinion that guys aren’t coming back. Now it’s the the the nuts and bolts of this team. Is a Dawson Mercer guy part of your future? When we know Andre Palot, somebody’s gonna want him. We know Anaheim has cap space. Detroit’s got cap space. Teams got cap space. But I don’t think I don’t think Andre wants to go to any of those cities. All respect to them. Like with all due respect to Anaheim, Chicago, Detroit, San Jose, great organizations, but with the exception of maybe the Red Wings, none of them are close to reaching the playoffs. None of them are close to making the playoffs. None of them are close to winning championships. So in the end they he may have to stay here for another year again. So again you revisit it next year or you revisit at the trade deadline or during the season. Like I said they have a lot of options on the table when it comes to and he has a say where he wants to go. So from what we’re hearing at Pugs and Pitchforks he’s making it a little difficult. Right. Exactly. And he and it’s true. Douge has a choice too. He’s got 10 teams though. But again a lot most of these team you know what these trade clauses are. Oh, don’t want to go to Canada. Don’t want to go to bad teams. We got to figure it out. Well, Chris Krider went to a team that may not be contending. And the Rangers figured it out. So, you can contract is not movable. Let’s just put it that way. Tom Fitzgerald, I hate to say this, and Rangers fans, if you’re listening, why are you listening to the show? And don’t take what I say out of context when I say that the Devils need to learn from the Rangers front office about moving contracts. That’s all I’m going to say. And that’s a fact. Jim, thank you so much for taking time out your busy day. I know you got a show to do in a in about an hour or so. But, uh, where can my audience find you at? Yeah, check me out at Jim Bearinger on Twitter, Xmachine, Fullpress Hockey, NHL Rumors.com, Fullpress Hockey up on the YouTube channel, uh, Jersey Gym33 over on Instagram. We always like to have some fun there. Night cap recap as well. So, follow along along for the ride. It’s been a fun offseason. And it’s been a restful offseason, I can say that. But always fun jumping on Locked on Devils, Locked on NHL Network, talking some Devils hockey, talking the NHL here in this off seasonason. Thank you so much, Jim. Um, and like I do to close out every episode, continue to stay safe. Have a wonderful day, New Jersey. Go Devils. I’ll catch you guys next episode. Special thanks to my guest star, Jim. Have a great day, everybody.

Another day, another instance where Luke Hughes hasn’t signed his extension yet. Clearly, he will return to the New Jersey Devils, but it all comes down to money and duration from both sides. The Devils have a solid team, but nothing exceptional. It’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the organization. Jim Biringer (Full Press Hockey) joined me on today’s episode to discuss the Hughes situation and what’s next for the Devils.

Follow Jim on the “X” app: @JimBiringer

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LODevils?sid=YouTube

Locked On NHL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Prospects & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNHL

Subscribe to Locked On Devils!
Follow me on the “X” app: @treymatt4
Follow the show on the “X” app: @LockedOnDevils
Listen to Locked On Devils: https://linktr.ee/LockedOnDevils

For your next listen, check out the Locked On NHL podcast, where the season never ends providing national expertise with a local perspective. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Monarch Money: Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNHL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year.

Wonderful Pistachios: Get snackin’ and get crackin’ with the snack that packs a protein punch. Visit WonderfulPistachios.com to learn more!

Gametime: Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.

FanDuel: Today’s episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new FanDuel customers can get TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Bonus Bets if your first FIVE DOLLAR bet wins!

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k: Did you know your Fire TV is also an Xbox? Turn any TV into your gaming and entertainment hub with Fire TV Stick 4K devices — no console required. Head to Amazon.com/firetvlockedon to get started. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription and compatible controller required.

Upwork: Visit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more—experts ready to help you take your business to the next level.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Thumbnail credit: USA TODAY

#NewJerseyDevils #Devils #NHL #LukeHughes #Offseason #FreeAgency #TradeRumors