The puck drops on the 2025–26 New Jersey Devils season in officially one month. Since the Devils last saw the ice, they have made several additions to their roster, but some moves still remain.
With one month until the season begins and just one day until the rookies report to Newark for medicals, young defender Luke Hughes still does not have a contract.
The 2021 first-round draft pick turned 22 years old today. He has spent three seasons with the Devils and remains a restricted free agent.
He was expected to sign a new contract this offseason; however, negotiations have not gone as planned, according to Ryan Novozinsky of NJ.com.
Reports suggest that Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald is pushing for a three- to eight-year deal, while Hughes prefers a five-year contract.
Ahead of the season, Fitzgerald spoke to Sportsnet and said:
“I don’t sense anything other than Luke wants to be a Devil for a long time.”
Luke’s older brother, Jack Hughes, joined Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts podcast on Tuesday, where he cleared up any questions about Luke’s desire to play in New Jersey.
“Eventually it’ll get done,” Jack said. When asked if the current stalemate could prevent a deal, he replied:
“I don’t think so. He enjoys playing in New Jersey.”
Jack also dismissed outside speculation:
“Yeah, for sure. I think that report — I saw it too — it’s probably just a shot in the dark. Where is he getting this information from?”
When asked about reports that Luke might want his contract to expire at the same time as Jack’s, he explained:
“Of course, just from the outside, anyone at any bar talking hockey can be like, ‘I’m sure the Hughes brothers want their contracts to match up.’ For sure. But there are so many things that come into play: money, term, and the fact that money’s always changing.”
While plenty of factors remain, Devils fans are hoping the deal gets finalized before the puck drops. Time is ticking, and the now-22-year-old has just one month to put pen to paper.
Jack added his perspective on the negotiations:
“I don’t think [a five-year deal for Luke] is a make-or-break thing. Luke is his own guy. I want Luke to set himself up for the rest of his life.”