As the 2025-26 season is still a month away, the days are
trickling down for teams to reach an agreement with their RFAs that aren’t signed
yet. Most of the Montreal Canadiens’ fanbase is keeping an eye on the Anaheim
Ducks and Mason McTavish, but the Habs’ brass should be keeping a close watch
on the Luke Hughes negotiations with the New Jersey Devils.
Not that the Canadiens would be interested in acquiring Jack
Hughes’ brother, but rather because, like Lane Hutson, he’s a young offensive
defenseman, and his deal could be a good indicator of where the market is
heading with the new CBA soon coming into force and the salary cap steadily
increasing.
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According to Sportsnet, the sticking point in the Hughes
negotiations would be the term. The team wants the 21-year-old to either sign a
three-year bridge deal or a full eight-year extension, but the player would
rather sign a five-year deal, which would end when his brother’s contract with
the Devils also expires. It would make both Hughes brothers unrestricted free
agents before the start of the 2030-31 campaign.
Speaking to RG.org, the Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald is
confident that the younger Hughes’ contractual issue will be settled before the
start of the season, as the Devils have no interest in finding themselves in
another Dawson Mercer kind of standout, and the GM adds that the player and his
agent are also hoping to avoid that.
In 155 NHL games, Hughes has picked up 93 points and 44
penalty minutes. That’s a 0.6 point-per-game average, which is a pretty good
number for a defenseman. In comparison, Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber
has 76 points in 162 games, for a 0.47 PPG, and was signed to an eight-year,
$8.5 million AAV deal.
The Devils’ GM also mentions that what fans don’t
necessarily realize is that not all teams can spend right up to the cap, and
that they may have an internal cap in place, which prevents them from giving
too onerous a contract.
Whatever term and number the Devils and Hughes settle on, it’s
sure to interest Hutson and his agent. Interestingly, Noah Dobson, who has a
0.59 PPG, was signed to an eight-year deal with a $9.5 million AAV by the New
York Islanders, but with the Canadiens’ agreement. Will Hughes managed to secure
a similar contract coming out of his entry-level deal, despite not having a
large sample size. There lies the question.
As for Hutson, by recording 66 points in 82 games in his
rookie season, he has given himself a 0.80 PPG. Does that put him in a position
to break the bank right away, considering the cap increase and everything else?
Hard to say. However, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes made a point of differentiating
Dobson’s deal and those of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky
because the defenseman had more experience and wasn’t just signing his first
standard contract. One could argue that his situation is different from
Hutson’s, and that’s clearly what Hughes will try to do, especially if New
Jersey manages to ink its defenseman to a reasonable contract.
With Carey Price’s bonus being paid on Monday, things could
start to fall into place in Montreal sooner rather than later…
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