NEWARK, N.J. — Tom Fitzgerald is certain of what the end result will be in the New Jersey Devils’ contract dispute with unsigned restricted free agent Luke Hughes.
“We will be signing him,” the longtime general manager said Thursday.
Eventually. Still, Hughes does not have a contract for the upcoming NHL season, and as result, the 22-year-old defenseman is not at training camp, which started this week. The same goes for Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish and Nashville Predators wing Luke Evangelista, and while opening night of the 2025-26 regular season is still more than two weeks away, not having young players on the ice for practice sessions is less than ideal for all parties involved.
“I do believe every day you lose, it is an impact on a player,” Fitzgerald said. “So, from our end, yeah there’s urgency to get him here or to continue to strive to that common goal of getting a deal. I believe on their end, too, there’s some urgency.”
Like Fitzgerald, Ducks general manger Pat Verbeek expressed disappointment about not having McTavish around. The 22-year-old returned home and was reportedly skating with the junior Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, rather than spending time at the rink with new Anaheim coach Joel Quenneville and his staff.