What’s next for the NJ Devils? 

After signing Evgenii Dadonov and Connor Brown and re-signing Jake Allen and Cody Glass, the Devils are now looking for their next move. 

Entering the offseason, the Devils had three key goals: address goaltending, improve their bottom six, and strengthen the blue line.

The young team, led by Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier, addressed goaltending (Allen) and bottom-six (Brown, Dadonov). However, they still need to make one big move: sign Luke Hughes to a long-term contract. 

Luke Hughes was the fourth overall pick in 2021 and signed a three-year entry-level contract. He played 82 games with the Devils last season [2024-25], tallying 9 goals, 38 assists, and 47 points. He was also a finalist for the 2023-24 Calder Trophy, awarded to the NHL rookie of the year. 

“My number one priority is Luke Hughes,” said General Manager Tom Fitzgerald. 

The contract negotiations were set to begin following the holiday weekend [4th of July]. There is no reason to doubt Hughes will be getting a long-term contract; it’s just a matter of numbers now. Hughes has expressed excitement about continuing to play with the Devils organization. A huge factor in his decision is his 24-year-old brother, Jack, who has been a star on the ice for the team. 

The question now isn’t if Hughes will be signed, but rather how much money the Devils can give him, since they are up against the salary cap. 

Fitzgerald mentioned on July 2nd that while his priority is Luke Hughes, he said, “What I do with Luke Hughes will determine what else I could possibly do.”

The salary cap is a clear concern for Fitzgerald’s Devils, but there is very little he can do until he finishes negotiating Hughes’ contract. 

According to PuckPedia, the Devils currently have $6.91 million in cap space, with a total cap hit of $88.59 million against the $95.5 million limit.

Fitzgerald now has two options: he could spend the rest of his budget on Hughes and not make any more moves, or trade away more expensive players to create more space in the budget. 

Although the Devils toyed with the idea of re-signing Cody Glass, they ultimately decided to extend his contract. He is currently on a two-year $5 million contract. 

The first player that comes to mind when talking about trades and large salaries is Dougie Hamilton. The defenseman currently has the highest contract on the team at seven years $9 million. He is entering year five, and trade talk has been circulating, although nothing is definite. 

He recently modified his no-trade clause, shifting from a full to a partial restriction, allowing trades to 10 specified teams.

While this sounds like a great decision on paper, Hamilton is a strong defender and proves valuable to the Devils. If the team was offered a good enough deal for him, they could part ways with him, but the Devils would need to consider the impact on their lineup as they look to make a deep playoff run. 

Ondřej Palát is another option. At age 34, he is entering the fourth year of his five-year, $30 million contract with the New Jersey Devils. The winger carries a $6 million cap hit annually. However, a trade remains unlikely given his leadership and strong role on the team. 

That leaves Fitzgerald in a challenging position: negotiating Hughes’ extension while exploring ways to improve the lineup before training camp opens in mid-September.

Photo Credit: © Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images