The New Jersey Devils have both Hughes brothers locked in for the near future.
The Devils have re-signed defenseman Luke Hughes to an extension, the team announced Wednesday.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Hughes’ contract is a seven-year, $63 million deal worth $9 million per season.
His brother, Jack Hughes, is currently signed through the 2029-30 season after inking his own $8 million average annual value extension in 2021.
Luke hit restricted free agency when his previous three-year, $5.55 million deal with the Devils expired after the 2024-25 season.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reported on Sept. 23 that Hughes and the Devils were “still a ways apart” on negotiations that kept the defenseman away from the team for the first week of training camp.
LeBrun reported at the time that “both sides are focused on a long-term deal but aren’t there yet on the AAV.”
Hughes played in all 82 games during his first full NHL season in 2023-24, setting a Devils rookie defenseman record with 47 points on his way to earning an All-Rookie team nod and a third-place finish in Calder Trophy voting.
He then suffered a shoulder injury during offseason training that sidelined him for the first nine games of the 2024-25 season.
Hughes returned to resume his role as a key part of the Devils’ blue line in 2024-25. He skated alongside Brett Pesce on the top pairing and led team defensemen in power play ice time, per Natural Stat Trick.
The defenseman was also a particularly visible offensive presence down the stretch. From the beginning of March to the end of the regular season, he ranked eighth among all NHL defenseman with 19 points (two goals, 17 assists) down the stretch.
Hughes played just one playoff game before he was sidelined by injury. He ultimately underwent shoulder surgery in May.
Given that Hughes turned 22 in September, the Devils will hope to continue seeing him develop as both a defender and a contributor on offense over the span of his new contract.
In the short term, the Devils will hope having both Luke and Jack back at full strength after offseason shoulder procedures can help the franchise bounce back from last spring’s first-round exit to make a deeper postseason run in 2026.
Read the full article here