Will Luke Hughes get off to another slow start? (John Jones-USA Today Sports)
This week, Kirill Kaprisov really hit the jackpot, signing an extension which will make him the highest paid player in the NHL; Jackson LaCombe’s new extension is the largest one ever doled out by the Ducks; and to complete the big signings, Luke Hughes has a new seven-year, $63-million contract (see below for more on this Hughes brother).
Devils Finally Sign Luke Hughes
After a down season in 2023-24, the New Jersey Devils bounced back last season and returned to the playoffs. They weren’t nearly as dominant as they’d been in 2022-23, but were at least good enough to qualify for the postseason. However, there is still work to do in the swamp as the Devils have not got past the second round since 2011-12.
Of course, this team’s chances of success just got a lot better now that star young defenseman Hughes was finally signed, as we mentioned above. The RFA had been holding out for an extension, and the stalemate finally ended with the new deal (seven years @ $9 million per) on Wednesday; on Thursday, he was back on the ice at practice, but did not play that night against the Rangers.
We’ll see if Hughes laces them up for the final preseason game against Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon. Either way, New Jersey expects he’ll be in game condition for opening night.
Hughes missed the beginning of last season with an injury, so would have topped his career high in points had he played in all 82 games as he did in his rookie campaign. The injury obviously had an effect on his production early on as he managed just two helpers over his first 13 games. But by the end of the season, Hughes was putting up nearly a point per game with 23 points over the last 24 games, which put him among the league leaders for defensemen.
No, he didn’t drive play at the same level he did as a rookie, but a CF percentage of 55.5 is still damn good.
Hughes is still just 22, so should be able to bounce back, but after missing nearly the entire preseason, don’t be shocked by another sluggish start. Still, we’re talking about a blueliner with good size (6’2”, 198), tremendous skating ability and big-time offensive potential. Consider Hughes — who already has one brother on his team in Jack, but also wants to play with his brother Quinn — a top 30 defenseman for this season and someone to grab in the mid-to-late rounds of your Fantasy draft.
So Long, Erik Johnson
In other news, Erik Johnson just announced his retirement after spending 17 years in the NHL; to give you an idea of how long we’ve been at this, about a month into the site’s launch, we offered up this draft recap about him.
RotoRob Tune of the Day
Once called The Elements, upon discovering another band had that name, they became Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Here’s “Not What You Wanted,” another track from their 2007 album Baby 81.