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New Jersey Devils Star Luke Hughes May Be Eyeing Short-Term Deal as Contract Standstill Continues

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Aug 14, 2025 1:19 PM ET

Amidst the contract standstill between the New Jersey Devils and defenseman Luke Hughes, he could choose to take a short term deal, per analyst Frank Seravalli.

The New Jersey Devils haven't been able to reach a new deal with defenseman Luke Hughes, and that could cause concern as the calendar is now nearly in mid-August with training camp just over a month away.

Per a report from NHL analyst Frank Seravalli, Hughes could take a shorter-term contract.

Frank Seravalli: Re Luke Hughes: I feel like this might be a little bit more of a difficult one; maybe Luke Hughes is...incentivized to take a bit of a shorter deal - Bleacher Report (8/12)

Not long after the season ended, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald said that his top priority was signing Hughes to a new contract and that he felt like both Hughes brothers wanted to remain with the team.

I talked to his agent (Tuesday). We said, 'Let's enjoy the holiday weekend and we'll start talking after. He's excited. He wants to be a Devil long term-just like his brother (Jack). We're excited about that.
Players want to stay here. They want to be in New Jersey. They want to be part of something we're creating. The standards are getting higher with each year, which is exciting. I don't sense anything other than Luke wants to be a Devil for a long time.

Hughes has 93 points (17G, 76A) in 155 career NHL games.

Canucks executive Jim Rutherford implied a reunion of the 3 Hughes brothers

Early in the summer, Vancouver Canucks executive Jim Rutherford turned heads and was accused of tampering when he spoke of captain Quinn Hughes wanting to play with both brothers at some point in his NHL career.

His comments were specifically about acquiring the Hughes brothers in New Jersey to play with Quinn in Vancouver, raising the concern of other fans about the appropriateness of what he said.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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