Right now, the New Jersey Devils still have their most important offseason task unfinished. Signing Luke Hughes to a long-term deal is more important than anything they have on the agenda. Since it’s almost September and the Devils still don’t have a contract in place for him, many are starting to panic.
However, it’s not panic time just yet. Whether the Devils had a contract in place on April 1st or September 10th, the situation is the same. Hughes joins the team at the start of training camp fully healthy and ready for a breakout season.
There will start to be training camp rosters released, and the Devils will be forced to remove Hughes's name from those lists if he's unsigned. These are still not moments to panic. It's just the circumstances of the situation.
Training camp is set to begin on Wednesday, September 10th for rookies, and Wednesday, September 17th for veterans. This is when the panic level starts to increase.
September 10th
Panic sets in at a low level
The Devils players are returning to New Jersey after a Team USA training camp that includes Luke Hughes. We expect there to be an increased level of negotiation when everyone is in person. Most hope this is hammered down over the next few weeks, whether the Devils are waiting to get a final word on Johnny Kovacevic’s injury or if they want to make one last-ditch effort to make a trade before agreeing to a new Luke Hughes contract.
If the Devils can’t get a deal done before rookies report to camp, then there’s a slight worry that this isn’t as simple and straightforward as we think. However, there’s still a week before the next milestone.
September 17th
Panic increases rapidly
If Luke Hughes misses even one practice in training camp in what might be his most important season, it will be incredibly worrisome. That’s when this becomes real. That’s when we know there’s not some deal already in place or the negotiations are more nefarious than we thought.
Last season, the Devils’ Dawson Mercer missed just one practice for training camp due to his contract negotiation, and he never got out of the gates in Sheldon Keefe’s new system. We don’t think it’s that serious for Hughes, but it is serious to get this season off on the right foot.
Hughes is also coming off shoulder surgery this offseason, so training camp is important to get his body up to speed. He can do some off-ice training, but there’s nothing like training alongside teammates. This is the first day these negotiations move from a worry to a problem.
September 19th
Full-on sweating
Okay, maybe the negotiations increase rapidly when camp opens and everyone is in place. If Luke Hughes isn’t signed by Day 1 of training camp, we’d want Tom Fitzgerald to lock himself in a room with Pat Brisson (Hughes’s agent), Luke himself, and whoever else is part of the decision-making process and not come out until a deal is done.
There can’t be anything these two sides can’t easily work out without a little budging from one side or the other. If Fitzgerald is demanding an eight-year deal, and Luke Hughes is demanding that deal look like Rasmus Dahlin’s ($11 million per season), then at least there’s some common ground here.
If that’s not done by the end of the first week, when the NHL players are in camp, then the panic is clear and physical. We are officially worried, and we need this negotiation to end.
September 21st
Calling our therapist
We will not be okay if Hughes is not signed by the time the Devils suit up for their first preseason game against the New York Rangers. Luke Hughes will officially be falling behind new assistant coach Brad Shaw’s system, and he will have to play catch up even if he signs on the dotted line that day.
It’s also a sign that things are further apart than we could imagine. It has been close to a week since camp opened, and Luke Hughes still hasn’t shown up. This is not a place we want to be.
October 1st
Panic consumes
On October 1st, the Devils would have lost most of the training they could do with Hughes, and now they have to go to Plan B. They need to consider who they should sign to hold Hughes’s place in the lineup for Opening Night, whether it’s a current PTO or a prospect who is given a chance. If the Devils go into the start of the season with Dennis Cholowski as a starter, it likely won’t start out well.
October 9th
This is where the crying begins
If the Devils don’t have Luke Hughes signed by Opening Night, then things will officially be in Code Red. He cannot miss games. He shouldn’t miss practices, but he cannot miss games. This is where Fitzgerald gets something done so we get Hughes on the ice.
It is going to be a competitive Eastern Conference, and the Devils should not leave points on the table. Give Luke Hughes a one-year deal and figure the rest out later.
This is where we stop the panic meter, because it likely won’t increase until something else happens. The Panic Level is at the highest it can be, and it won’t go down until Luke Hughes signs.
We can’t see it going here. There is too much that each side gets out of making this work. Most RFAs have re-signed this offseason, but Hughes isn’t the only one still unsigned. Teams are waiting this out until they get the deal that makes the most sense, but the Devils don’t want to shake the foundation of the team too much to save a few bucks. They have the opportunity to make the money work this year, so just give out a contract that keeps the Hughes brothers here forever.