The New Jersey Devils and their fans have experienced three different lockouts or work stoppages since Gary Bettman became NHL commissioner in 1993. Given the current state of affairs, they will not see a fourth. As Emily Kaplan of ESPN is reporting, the NHL and NHL Players Association could reach an agreement on a CBA extension as soon as the NHL Draft.
While this is great news for the hockey world, in the report, there seems to be some changes that could be happening. Some of the things proposed are a two-game expansion to the NHL schedule, a LTIR playoff loophole closure, and a permanent EBUG.
One of the other main points is that there may be a change of how long contracts given out can be. As of right now, the max length a team can give a player is eight years when re-signing them and seven years for a free agent deal. The new rules would change that to seven years for re-signing and six years for free agents.
While this would not take into effect until after the 2025-26 season, this does have an effect on what the Devils can and should do with Luke Hughes. Hughes is currently a restricted free agent and is eligible to receive an eight-year extension right now. After this season, he would only be able to sign a seven-year deal. In the grand scheme of things, one year does not make that much of a difference, but when you are competing and need your core locked up, that extra year comes in handy.
It would be wise for the Devils to take advantage of what could be the last offseason to give players an extra year on their deal. Having the youngest of the Hughes brothers locked up for eight years would keep the brothers together for at least another four years, with the oldest brother, Quinn, a free agent after the 2026-27 season. While the Devils cannot put all of their eggs in the Quinn Hughes basket, having Luke locked up long term rather than a bridge would be more coaxing for the eldest Hughes brother to come join his siblings.
A bridge makes sense for both sides right now. With the Devils in a salary cap bind, having Luke sign a two or three-year deal at a lower cap hit is beneficial in the short term. With the new CBA on the horizon, it would be wise for both sides to try to make the max eight years fit right now. At eight years, Hughes' contract would expire when he is 29, a prime age for him to cash in on a mega extension with the salary cap exploding in just a couple of years.
On the contrary, if the Devils give Luke a bridge deal, it could also line up with when Jack Hughes's contract expires. The Devils do not have the luxury of having Jack be an RFA when his deal expires. If all three brothers' contracts are expiring around roughly the same time, that could not bode well for the Devils, as all three brothers could choose where they all go, if they want to do that.
Putting the other two brothers aside, Luke himself deserves a long-term extension should he want one. At 21 years old, he is slowly becoming the Devils' offensive leader on the blue line with versatility to play the left and right sides of defense. If extending Luke a full eight years means the Devils have to find a way to move off of Dougie Hamilton earlier than anticipated, that is a deal the Devils should be willing to make.
While this was not the intentions of the NHL and NHLPA, the new CBA has potentially put a new wrinkle in the Devils' plans this offseason.