We’re officially one week away from the New Jersey Devils veterans reporting to training camp. Luke Hughes is supposed to be one of those players. However, he remains without a contract.
READ MORE: Devils X-Factor’s: Why Four Players Will or Won’t Make a Difference in 2025-26
The restricted free agent defenseman was labeled general manager Tom Fitzgerald‘s No.1 priority at the beginning of the summer. However, he and the Hughes camp have been unable to come to terms on an extension.
The Devils GM explained he’s confident things will sort itself out.
“Eventually, this will get done,” Fitzgerald said. “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.”
Last we heard, the dispute is term. The Devils are seeking either a bridge deal, or a max, eight-year extension. Whereas, the Hughes camp reportedly threw a five-year curveball at the Devils, to which they have not agreed to.
We reported at New Jersey Hockey Now last week that the belief is its just a negotiating tactic to maximize average annual value (AAV) whether it’s a short or long-term deal.
Via the NHL Network, Sportsnet insider, Elliotte Friedman recently explained he thinks the contract gets done next week when players arrive in New Jersey for training camp. He calmed the tensions among the Devils faithful, with the belief a contract gets done without the budding star defenseman missing any time.
“This is one that I watch next week; we get to a situation where the players…start coming to camp; I don’t worry about this one,” Friedman told the NHL Network panel.
Frank Seravalli via Bleacher Report threw his input in yesterday, explaining he thinks the negotiations start where Minnesota Wild defenseman, Brock Faber’s contract landed. He added that perhaps his brother, Jack Hughes‘ contract—which is notoriously the “best bargain contract in the NHL”—could be impacting the negotiations.
“Look, I think this looks and starts with a Brock Faber type number, but I wonder if the deal that Jack signed, also long term, big money, from a few years ago… does that impact at all how the Hughes family looks at this? Because it was great to get that $64 million security,” Seravalli explained. “But I think at a certain point in time, when you follow that up with a 100-point season, that you then feel like, ‘Hey, we’ve been underpaid.’ I know that you can’t have it both ways. Either you take the security or you’re willing to play it out and place a wager on yourself. But it’s just an interesting sort of tidbit (here). It’s to try and gain some line of sight into the thinking of the Hughes family as they try and figure this contract out for Luke.”
“I mean, it’s still going to be a pretty sizable deal regardless. Two, 40-plus point seasons on the blueline & two seasons north of 21 minutes a night. He is a significant part of what the Devils want to do moving forward. It’s been their top off-season priority to get that deal done all summer.”
Hughes has the potential to grow into the Devils’ No.1 defenseman as soon as this season. All the tools are there. He strengthened his defensive game in 2024-25 thanks to the partnership he developed with veteran Brett Pesce. And although he started slow when he returned from injury last season, Hughes eventually fired on all cylinders, displaying elite offensive prowess.
The situation as a whole brings Dougie Hamilton back into the conversation. Can the Devils afford to sign Hughes to a max-term extension with Hamilton’s $9 million on the books? Not as currently constructed, and we know his name has been in trade rumors this summer.
“Obviously, this has lingered, but man, it also makes you look at a Dougie Hamilton contract that’s on the books and say, ‘That’s a really tough spot to be in,’” Seravalli concluded. “How do we find a way to get out from under that contract? How do we find a way to lessen the load on our defenseman relative to cap with that Dougie Hamilton contract? Because it all has to fit together like puzzle pieces for Tom Fitzgerald and coach Sheldon Keefe.”
The belief is that once Hughes, agent Pat Brisson, and Fitzgerald are all in the same room once veterans report next week, things will come together quickly. However, it feels like a domino or two needs to fall before anything can become official, as the Devils may need a bit of cap space to make this deal work.
The next seven days should be interesting, and with Jack admitting yesterday that he wants to play with their eldest brother, Quinn Hughes, Luke’s contract could certainly be indicative of the trios future.
For more Devils news, visit New Jersey Hockey Now, subscribe to our YouTube and like our Facebook page.
Follow us on 𝕏:
@NJDHockeyNow, @JamesNicholsNHL
And on Threads:
