The New Jersey Devils just finished their most important offseason move on October 1st, signing Luke Hughes to an seven-year deal. His $9 million salary represents a jump in AAV for young stars. We’re also seeing more mega contracts for superstar players.
Just in the first eight days of October, we’ve seen Kirill Kaprizov, Connor McDavid, Kyle Connor, and Jack Eichel signed massive extensions. Many thought Kaprizov, who signed an eight-year deal worth $17 million per season with the Minnesota Wild, was going to represent a change in contracts moving forward, but just days later, that narrative seems to be out the window.
McDavid signed a two-year contract for just $12.5 million per season. He could have asked for a blank check and the Edmonton Oilers would be forced to pay it. Instead, he gave them optimal room to work and build a true Stanley Cup contenders.
That could have been an outlier, but we saw both Connor and Eichel sign for slightly less than they could have gotten on the open market. Eichel especially set the stage for future centers to lose in negotiations. He signed an eight-year deal worth $13.5 million per season.
Jack Eichel's contract will likely impact Nico Hischier's contract negotiations
The New Jersey Devils are paying close attention to this deal. Obviously, many would say Eichel is able to take a discount because he plays in a no-tax state, but negotiations will say that’s overstated. That’s what Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils’ front office will say next offseason.
The Devils will approach Nico Hischier with a contract offer next year, and it’s going to be a significant raise. Right now, he’s making $7.25 million per season. There’s a world where Hischier could double his salary.
However, the Devils see this Eichel salary, and they will push to keep Hischier below this. The Devils' captain is incredibly important to this team, and he’s quickly become one of the best centers in the National Hockey League.
He does get a chance to play an interesting role in this offense. Jack Hughes is the top-line center. He will get the top defensive matchups when healthy. So, Hischier gets a chance to eat on the second line more often than others in this stratosphere.
Still, Hischier deserves a huge raise. With this Eichel contract, the Devils could argue that Hischier’s salary should fall in the $11-12 million range. We’ll see if that gets it done.