63. No, that’s not in reference to Jesper Bratt’s number. That’s how many days it’s been since New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald declared Luke Hughes his “No.1 priority.” Yet, the budding superstar defenseman remains unsigned. There’s a theory out there that has Devils fans a bit tense. However, here’s what’s really going on between the Hughes and Devils camp.
READ MORE: Devils GM Speaks on Luke Hughes Contract Standoff
It’s well reported that at this point, the Devils are seeking to sign Hughes to a three-year bridge deal, or a max-term, eight year contract.
As a reminder, those eight-year deals disappear on September 16th, 2026 as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.
However, Hughes and his agent Pat Brisson have stood firm, looking for a five-year contract instead.
The theory is that the youngest Hughes brother wants to align his contract with Jack Hughes, so they can walk into free agency together in the same offseason five summers from now.
However, there’s something else going on here.
The Devils certainly won’t fold and hand Hughes the five-year extension he’s looking for. If they did, they’d be handcuffing themselves, walking the star defenseman into unrestricted free agency, and leave the door open for him to walk away for nothing in his prime.
The notion that the Hughes brothers could be orchestrating working as co-free agents makes sense in theory. However, an inquiring team leaving a ton of cap space open to ink two, maybe even all three brothers on the open market, comes with extreme risk if things go south. Now, all of a sudden, said team has a ton of unaccounted for cap space, and perhaps all the best free agents in the class five years from now sign elsewhere.
It’s too much of a risk, and probably not one any smart general manager is willing to take. Don’t worry, the Quinn Hughes watch is still on in New Jersey.
So, the Hughes camp knows the Devils won’t submit to a five-year contract.
Instead, Hughes and Brisson are trying to maximize dollars.
On a short-term, three-year contract, AFP Analytics projects Hughes to earn $5,756,262 on an extension. On a long-term, six-year deal, Hughes is projected to earn $8,386,810.
At this point, it would be no surprise to see that number come in on a three-year deal at $7 million or a bit north. And on a max-term eight-year deal, we could be looking at another $9 million defenseman in New Jersey.
But wait, there’s more.
If and when that happens, the Devils don’t have the cap space to make that happen. Thus, it’s September 3rd, and he’s still unsigned. And there’s a reason for that. The Devils need to clear cap space with just $6,131,667 in their pocket.
A trade must happen.
However, over the last calendar month, and then some, there has yet to be a transaction of significance across the entire NHL.
Suffice to say, this will get done. It’s a matter of when, not if. There are just a few dominos that are going to have to fall first.
Whereas the holdup on an agreement appears to be term, it’s more likely that Hughes and Brisson are trying to maximize the payout on a three or eight-year contract.
The Devils and their fans can breathe a sigh of relief, it’s highly unlikely they lose their star brothers in free-agency in five years.
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