Luke Hughes signs monster extension, ending a lengthy RFA negotiation!

The New Jersey Devils started training camp without one of their top defensemen in Luke Hughes amid a contract stalemate. It has reportedly come to an end as NHL insiders Elliotte Friedman and Chris Johnston report on Wednesday morning that both camps are closing in on a seven-year, $63 million deal, worth $9 million annually.

This is quite the deal for the 22-year-old blue liner, who has posted back-to-back 40-plus point seasons to start his NHL career. The Devils selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, and Hughes scored 47 points as a rookie before recording 44 more in 71 games last year.

Negotiations did not go as smoothly as first expected due to the precedent set by Luke’s brother Jack.

Jack Hughes signed an eight-year, $8 million AAV deal in 2021 that has since delivered immense value to the Devils. Luke’s camp, represented by Pat Brisson, had been pushing for a higher figure with the salary cap set to rise. Just like his brother Jack, Luke Hughes received a 10-team no-trade list in his extension for the eligible seasons.

According to Pierre LeBrun, "New Jersey gave a couple of new offers to Hughes' camp on Monday. Neither were accepted. But another offer late Tuesday night did the trick."

With his new AAV, Luke Hughes now matches Dougie Hamilton’s $9 million cap hit in Jersey.

In 155 career NHL games, Hughes has 17 goals and 93 points.