New Jersey Devils Sign Luke Hughes to Massive Contract Extension

The New Jersey Devils have locked in a cornerstone piece of their franchise.

The team announced on Wednesday they've signed restricted free-agent defenceman Luke Hughes to a seven-year contract extension worth a whopping $9 million AAV. Hughes, 22, is entering his third full season in the league and is coming off a year in which he dressed in 71 games, scoring seven goals and finishing the year with 44 points.

Hughes averaged 21:09 per game last season and is expected to play an even bigger role moving forward for the Devils. His brother Jack has been pushing for the team to play him more on the power play, so we'll see if there's a bump in his 1:38 of power-play time he averaged last season.

Greetings from Hughes Jersey. Our boy is here to stay.#NJDevils | #MadeInJersey pic.twitter.com/Dw4kJIfhhh
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 1, 2025

Hughes' contract now runs through the 2032-33 season and in 155 career regular-season games, the youngest Hughes brother has recorded 17 goals and 76 assists for 93 points. He was named a Calder Finalist for rookie of the year two seasons ago.

The Devils went 42-33-7 last season, finishing with 91 points in their first season under Sheldon Keefe. They were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in five games during the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

With both Jack and Luke locked in with New Jersey, how long before Quinn is traded to the Devils from the Vancouver Canucks?