Devils, Luke Hughes not interested in bridge deal

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.