After months of waiting and wondering, the New Jersey Devils have finally come to terms on a new contract with defenseman Luke Hughes. The deal, which starts this season and runs through the 2031-32 season, is seven years in length and will pay Hughes $63M, with an AAV of $9M.
Luke Hughes, 22, is the youngest of the three Hughes brothers (Quinn is the oldest and Jack is the middle), but he is now the highest paid. During Tom Fitzgerald’s media availability in early July, the Devils’ GM made it clear that signing Luke Hughes to a new deal was his Number One priority.
After that statement, many figured a deal would come fairly quickly. After all, Hughes very clearly wanted to be a Devil; his brother, Jack, is signed with the team long-term and the team was motivated to get a deal done.
Then, somewhere along the line, Hughes, his agent Pat Brisson and the team each drew a line in the sand that led to a protracted contract standoff. But that wasn’t a big deal, at least, not at first. With an entire summer to work things out, there was no reason to worry. Then, before you knew it, Training Camp had arrived and no deal had been reached.
Rumors flew about what Hughes was looking for. There was never any doubt the team wanted to sign him to a max, or near max, length deal. Rumor had it that the youngest Hughes brother didn’t want to commit to that type of term, at least, not without securing an exceptionally high AAV.
Of course, the reports out of Vancouver that Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brothers led to plenty of hand wringing and speculation as people tried to figure out how the trio of brothers could all end up on the same team and when. But that proved to be a side story.
On Wednesday, October 1, 2025, shortly after the Devils announced the new deal, reports surfaced that both sides were originally aiming at a six-year deal in length. (Credit to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic). Then, just within the past day or two, the sides decided to focus on a seven-year deal, which allowed New Jersey to get a more desirable length and Hughes to get more money. A win-win.
Now, is this an overpay for a player who has just two full seasons and 155 regular-season games under his belt? You can certainly make that case. Hughes’ career totals of 17 goals, 76 assists and 93 points (along with a -34 rating and an average total ice time of 21:16) don’t immediately jump off the page as being deserving of $9M per year.
In fact, his $9M AAV now ties him for the eighth-highest by a defenseman in the entire NHL. He’s also now tied with Dougie Hamilton as the highest-paid player on the Devils. Through those lenses, you can certainly see why people would think of this as an overpay. Heck, Hughes’ cap hit is now the same as Cale Makar.
If you think in present terms, Hughes is not a $9M player. But this contract is as much about the now as the future. With what Hughes has shown on the ice, from his skating to his offensive touch to his flashes on defense, there is a very reasonable chance that develops into a true $9M defenseman in the next couple of years. Currently, he needs to work on limiting his turnovers and some of his reads. If he can do that and his offense continues to improve, it won’t be long before he supplements Hamilton as the Devils’ true Number One defenseman.
Time will tell. But, for now, the standoff is over and Hughes is expected to return to the team for Thursday’s practice. It’ll likely take him a couple weeks and a few pre-season games to get up to snuff, so don’t expect fireworks right out of the gate. But by the middle to end of October, he should be at full speed.
