James Nichols
We’re officially in the preseason as the New Jersey Devils played their first exhibition game on Sunday, and Luke Hughes is still not signed. He’s missed the first five days of training camp, officially holding out longer than Dawson Mercer did last season. What’s the holdup?
As previously reported, the wedge between the Devils and Luke Hughes is dollars. Both sides remain fixated on a long-term contract extension. However, it’s the average annual value that’s preventing an agreement.
READ MORE: What’s Really Going on in the Devils, Luke Hughes Contract Standoff
At one time, the Hughes camp put a five-year extension on the table, but general manager Tom Fitzgerald is smarter than to agree to that contract that will walk him right to unrestricted free agency.
According to Elliotte Friedman via the latest 32 Thoughts podcast, nothing has changed since the last update regarding Hughes’ negotiations.
“As far as I heard on Sunday night, nothing had changed on Luke Hughes, that there was still a bit of a gulf there and they were still working on a long term deal,” Friedman explained when addressing the unsigned restricted free agents, including Hughes, Luke Evangelista, and Mason McTavish.
However, the Sportsnet insider drew a bigger connection.
The landscape of the NHL is changing in terms of the latest contracts. The salary cap is jumping significantly each year for the next three seasons. Even the biggest stars such as Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Jack Eichel are feeling the effects of a market reset right now.
“I got some really interesting feedback just about us talking about the changes in the cap and what it’s meant,” Friedman continued. “And I think everybody wondered what the effect of it would be. And we’re seeing it.”
“The agents are definitely saying, ‘Hey, the cap is a higher percentage of the cap.’ But the one thing that I absolutely believe more than ever is that the GMs are… I don’t think it’s collusion or anything like that, I want to be very careful with that…
“But I definitely think there is a (sense of) ‘we have to hold the line to some level.’ Like, you can’t look at what Minnesota offered Kaprizov at 8x$16 and say they’re colluding.”
Thus, the standoff.
GMs throughout the NHL are doing their best to stand their ground in order to not be taken advantage of with the rising cap.
It’s easy to see that in the eyes of the Devils, Luke Hughes is going to be their No.1 defenseman sooner or later. In fact, that passing of the torch from Dougie Hamilton to Hughes has perhaps already begun, after Luke assumed PP1 duties last season.
That’s why this standoff, although minimally progressing, has hit a snag. Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson, certainly has the foresight–like we all do–to see Hughes’ ascension as a top blueliner, and should be paid like one. He also does not want to see another one of the contracts he’s negotiated on the “best bargain” list, à la Luke’s brother, Jack Hughes.
Luke wants to be a long-time Devil, and the Devils want Luke long-term. At this point, it’s a game of chicken.
Who will move out of the way first?
