While many fans are quick to criticize the moves or non moves of Devils' General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, this one has to be at the very least, respected if not glorified by a hungry Jersey fan base. According to Dom Luszczyszn of The Athletic, Jack Hughes' 8 year, $64 million deal(signed in 2021) is the best contract in all of the NHL.
In addition to Jack's skill set, a very overlooked area of value is the family he brings with him. With Jack locked up long term, the risk of Luke Hughes leaving becomes zero and the chance of Quinn Hughes coming here becomes almost 100%. While the haters will say Jack/Luke are injury prone and cannot stay healthy, they'll fail to overlook the types of injuries that have kept the brothers out of the lineup. These (thanfuklly) are not head or even knee injuries. The surgically repaired shoulders, both on Jack and one on Luke, should be repaired to 100% and be less likely to re-injure in the future.
With the projected value of Hughes' production at $15.6 million the Devils are essentially getting Jack at a bargain bin, 50% off rate. With the cap set to increase substantially these next few years and Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt also at team friendly numbers, Tom Fitzgerald has built a foundation as well as set the organization up for a major contention window which realistically begins this upcoming season.
Do you think Jack's contract is the best in the biz? Hit me up in the comments and lets discuss.