Devils Sign Defenseman Luke Hughes to 7-Year Extension

Pierre LeBrun of TSN notes , “Both sides had a breakthrough in talks late last night. New Jersey gave a couple of new offers to Hughes’ camp on Monday. Neither were accepted. But another offer late Tuesday night did the trick.” He adds that Hughes’ camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, was focused on a six-year deal for the longest time and remained far apart. Going to a seven-year deal instead got the two sides over the hump. When the Devils finally went to a $9 million AAV, they sealed the deal.

This deal brings an end to a lengthy RFA negotiation and contract standoff. The deal was finalized just a week before the start of the regular season, ensuring Hughes won’t miss a paycheck.

With this agreement, Hughes now ties Dougie Hamilton for the highest average annual value on the Devils’ roster. Earlier this week, Friedman noted on the most recent episode of  32 Thoughts the podcast , there was “a gulf” size gap between Luke Hughes and the Devils. It’s amazing how much ground can be made up when two sides start to feel the crunch of having to get something done.

At the end of August, James Murphy of RG.org reported that Hughes’ camp was firm on the five-year term, which would align his next contract’s expiration with that of his brother, Jack Hughes, whose eight-year extension runs through 2030.

This deal will remove any leverage of the Hughes brothers working in tandem as they negotiate their next contracts. Interestingly, of the three Hughes brothers, Luke is now the highest paid. Luke makes $9 million, Jack makes $8 million, and Quinn makes $7.85 million.

More to come…