The New Jersey Devils were happy to hear that the salary cap is going up higher than expected next season. They have big decisions to make, with the biggest being the contract extension for defenseman Luke Hughes. His entry-level contract is over, and he's about to get a huge pay raise.
The Devils have other big contract decisions to make, including a possible Cody Glass contract extension, additions to the bottom six, and decisions on unrestricted free agents like Brian Dumoulin, Nathan Bastian, Curtis Lazar, and Jake Allen. The Devils are working with about $13 million of the expected $95.5 million salary cap.
Well, at least it was $13 million. New information has been released, as reported by Puck Pedia, that says the Devils will lose $1 million of their cap space due to bonus overages.
🚨PuckPedia Breaking News 🔥
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) April 18, 2025
At least 11 teams will have a performance bonus overage next season, which reduces their cap space in 25-26.#StlBlues lead with $2.15M cap charge#GoHabsGo $1.7M
Read about how the overages work, who earned them, & more:https://t.co/daryXFAfh5
This may come as a surprise to some, but when looking at the players who are under entry-level deals, it was partially suspected. Most of these bonuses were probably in Luke Hughes' contract. He earned $1.85 million in performance bonuses this season, thus the overage.
Losing $1 million from their salary cap space is bad news for the New Jersey Devils
The Devils now have just over $12 million in cap space with a lot to take care of. This puts them in a precarious spot when trying to negotiate deals. Will this change how they move forward with extensions like the one for Hughes? Will they get desperate and trade away Erik Haula or Ondrej Palat to make room?
They probably have to make some hard decisions, and it could mean the end to some Devils careers they were hoping would stick around. It could also take them completely out of NHL Free Agency. It might even hurt the roster entirely.
This Devils team is still flawed. While the core is in a really good place, the depth needs a lot of help. The Devils squeaked into the playoffs, but they want to be more than just the last team in the Metropolitan Division to make it. For that to happen, they need to improve the roster. Losing $1 million means harder decisions must be made.