Today we are back, back again, from the land of NHL Rumours as we take a journey down the New Jersey Turnpike. We are exploring the situation of young New Jersey Devils defenceman Luke Hughes. The question we are exploring is how is he still a(n) (unsigned) restricted free agent. Let’s try to get some answers, shall we?
NHL Rumours and Why the Youngest Hughes Brother is Still an RFA
Rumour: The rumour comes from NJ.com and the man Ryan Novozinsky. He is saying the hold up on getting a deal done is on term. The Devils either want a bridge deal or a long-term one. However, the player’s camp is narrowing in on a five-year agreement specifically.
Analysis: There are a few things to unpack, but the younger Hughes simply appears to have one demand. That demand is that his contract ends at the same time as brother, and teammate, Jack Hughes.
Besides the scenario we have laid out already, there is one more element to consider. That being the New Jersey Devils team salary cap constraints, but only for 2025-26. We say only this coming year because there is an anticipated rise in the cap for the years ahead. But for Luke’s contract, we do need to lock in on this year’s cap parameters. It seems Devil general manager Tom Fitzgerald has approximately $6.13 million of which to play with now.
That’s why the Devils offer makes sense. That range would be an amount that they’d feel comfortable paying out over a full term of eight seasons. Moreover, there’s obviously plenty of risk of signing a young d-man to a big money contract with term. That is despite Hughes’ pedigree and body-of-work to this point. The soon-to-be 22-year-old already has 93 points in 155 games at the NHL level. In addition, in those games he has averaged over 21 minutes of ice time. It definitely feels like he’s a can’t miss top-end rearguard at this point.
In contrast, we could mention that his ice time is inflated as a result of injury. If Dougie Hamilton hadn’t missed time through the past two years, Hughes wouldn’t have received so much opportunity on the power play. Now, we will say Hughes has been impressive in his output for a young player. Furthermore, the team’s lack of success, with Hughes playing so much, could be seen as a knock against him at this point. You know, when it comes to contract negotiations. There really isn’t much of a big picture knock against Hughes. He, like his two brothers before him, looks to be a star-in-the-making.
One More Thing to Consider, It’s Always Something
There is another dynamic in play in this situation. That is something that has been stirring NHL Rumours for the last while. There does appear to be the idea that the three brothers (along with Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks) would like to play together. That could be behind Luke wanting the five-year contract, to hit the market the same time as Jack. That would be in the summer of 2030.
Of course, with any player of a guy like Hughes’ potential impact, contract negotiations can be difficult. The likely problem is that Hughes’ camp believes he is worth more at this time than GM Fitzies’ camp valuation. It does seem like a compromise would be best. Given his age, a bridge-deal, of two-to-three years of length would be that compromise. That way Hughes would be more willing to take less money, if he knows he could land bigger money, sooner down the road.
In any case, both sides want a deal done, and time is becoming a point of discussion. Training camps will get going starting later next week, and nobody wants these types of lingering distractions. Another major RFA is Mason McTavish, who is feeling equal pressure to get a deal done. Will Jack Hughes end up missing time at the start of the season? Will he get what he wants, or will a compromise be in order? A few, very important questions, and the time is now.
Main Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
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