Devils GM speaks out about Luke Hughes contract standoff.

The situation surrounding the current state, and future, of the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils has suddenly become one of great interest. Reports have now indicated that Devils defenseman Luke Hughes is seeking a 5 year deal, a contract term that would make him an unrestricted free agent at the same time as his brother Jack Hughes.

This has obviously caused a few eyebrows around the National Hockey League to perk up with interest, especially considering that Luke remains unsigned this close to the start of NHL training camps. Hughes is currently a restricted free agent so there's no real threat of him signing elsewhere, outside of a potential offer sheet, but it has put a great deal of pressure on the Devils to get a deal done.

The Devils themselves are reportedly seeking a shorter term bridge deal or a max term 8 year contract, but they may not be coming to the negotiating table with the kind of numbers that Luke and his camp are seeking.

This week, Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald admitted that he was not focused on the rising salary cap around the NHL over the next 3 years, and instead suggested that Luke should be compared to players who are currently signed to similar contracts. When asked if he felt that Luke's camp would look to push the issue of the rising salary cap, Fitzgerald admitted that would likely be the case.

"Well, yeah, I’m sure that’s the case, but as a team, you can't ignore the present," said Fitzgerald as per RG Media. "The future is laid out for us via the league and what the cap is going to be. And again, you're just trying to find common ground today that may work down the road for both parties, too, but you need to live in the present, and this is no different. They're just looking out for Luke's best interest, but the reality is you still have to stay in the present time and look at, in my opinion, the comps that are there."

Luke Hughes was selected by the Devils in the first round (4th overall) of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and has now reached the end of his Entry Level Contract. Over the past two seasons Luke has appeared in 153 games, scoring 16 goals and adding 75 assists for a total of 91 points over that stretch of play.

Considering the fact that his entry level contract carried an average annual value of $925,000, Luke is certainly headed for a massive raise regardless of the term on his next deal.