University of Michigan Hockey's deleted Luke Hughes post says what we're all thinking about the Devils

Even the University of Michigan Hockey account is dying to see Luke Hughes re-sign with the New Jersey Devils.
2023 Frozen Four
2023 Frozen Four | Richard T Gagnon/GettyImages

With the New Jersey Devils just two weeks from starting training camp, impatience for Luke Hughes to sign a new contract is starting to reach a fever pitch.

In fact, that noise has now breached contain, leaving the confines of New Jersey and Devils fans and reaching all the way out to Ann Arbor, Mich., where the University of Michigan, Hughes's old school, has taken notice. And not in a good way.

On Thursday, the University of Michigan Hockey Twitter/X account made a now-deleted post, quoting an NHL Network segment on Hughes and stating "Pay the kid."

Now, whoever runs the Michigan Hockey account was probably right to delete the post, but they were also right to say what we're all thinking at this point in the offseason.

The fact that Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils have allowed this to drag on for months with no real solution in sight is just sad. Is Hughes your franchise defenseman or not?

Making matters worse is the fact that the 21-year-old was eligible to sign a new contract with the Devils as early as last July 1, which was nearly 14 months ago.

Since then, Fitzgerald and the Devils allocated big money to fellow defenders Brenden Dillon, Brett Pesce, and Johnathan Kovacevic. And while those players aren't necessarily the worst offenders of hogging up cap space (Ondrej Palat), it can be argued in good faith that at least one of the signings wasn't necessary.

Kovacevic, in particular, stands out with Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey waiting in the wings on entry-level contracts.

With barely $6 million in cap space, Fitzgerald and the Devils have dug themselves into a hole they don't seem to have a clear path out of, and everyone saw it coming a year ago.

Almost all trade leverage with this roster and negotiation leverage with Hughes has been eroded, and now Michigan Hockey, apparently, is fed up, too.