New Jersey Devils Understand What Their Options Are When It Comes to Luke Hughes
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined Dave McCarthy on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Friday and was asked about the current status of Luke Hughes and his contract extension with the New Jersey Devils.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Dave McCarthy: “So I’m getting the sense that folks in New Jersey are concerned, if not agitated, with Tom Fitzgerald these days and the Devils’ inability to get Luke Hughes’ name on a contract. Now, every year, there’s always a couple of these guys that kind of drift later into the off-season, and if not miss a couple of days of camp, or even in Willie Nylander’s case, a few years ago, missed some of the regular season.
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There are always a few guys coming out of entry-level who are RFA. Luke Hughes showed himself to be a really, really quality player. What is your understanding about where their negotiations sit right now? Are they looking long-term? Are they looking short-term? Where is your understanding of where these negotiations lie?”
Dave Pagnotta: “Well, I mean, they definitely discussed both scenarios. Both options in terms of long versus taking a bridge-type contract moving forward. And I think he’s 21 with the way the salary cap is going, a shorter-term deal to keep him within RFA status might be the way to go. But, we’ll kind of see where things end up.
We know his brother obviously signed a long-term deal on his last one. But a lot of guys take that bridge deal out of entry before deciding to commit long term, so he could go in that direction. But I don’t think, even though, and he’s not eligible for an offer sheet, I don’t think there’s a concern on really, either side that they’re not going to be able to get something done by the time camp gets going in a little over, what, two weeks, two, three weeks. So obviously, it’s a priority.
Obviously, the summer overall hasn’t been nearly by any stretch as active as we were led to believe. And maybe that, and that’s a whole other discussion, possible can of worms for a lot of fans not to see the activity over the summer. But look, I think the Devils understand what their options are. I think Luke and his agent, Pat Brisson and the guys at CAA understand where they’re at. And obviously, the goal is to make sure that he’s ready and ready to go for camp.
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We talked on the European Media Player Tour that we chatted with Nico Hischier about the two brothers and what they mean to the team. And obviously Luke’s a big, a big part of that team’s future, but I think there’s confidence across the board that they’re going to get things done. It’s just a matter now of kind of hunkering down and, push coming to shove.
Everybody likes to work with a deadline. And now that, once we get through Labor Day, I think we’ll see some positivity in that regard for Devils fans that understandably have been frustrated this summer in that regard.”
McCarthy: “Yeah, I mean, it’s one of those things where the old saying is deadlines produce deals, and there’s really no tipping point at the end of July to get a deal done. There is a tipping point coming up with the start of training camp, and I would be surprised if he’s not in the mix by then, just because I think the Devils understand, one, how important this season is for their team, and then, by extension, two, how important Luke Hughes is to the success of this particular season for their group.
So we’ll see how it plays out. But one thing is for sure, Luke Hughes has shown himself to be a guy that is a big part of that group moving forward, and I think he will be in the mix.”
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