NJ Devils Forward Tops List of ‘NHL’s Best Contracts’ for 2025-26 Season originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The New Jersey Devils made the playoffs last season after a one-year hiatus. For the franchise to become a steady playoff presence, they will need to build a strong foundation around a star player under, ideally, a contract that allows the Devils some room for surrounding him with enough talent.
According to Dom Luszczyszyn of The Athletic, that’s exactly what New Jersey has in Jack Hughes, whose eight-year, $64 million deal was named the most valuable in the NHL for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Why Devils’ Jack Hughes Ranks No. 1
Signed in 2022, Hughes’ contract carries an $8 million annual cap hit through 2029–30, when Hughes will be 29 and eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
Luszczyszyn projected a staggering $38 million in surplus value remaining on Hughes’ deal, saying that, with a 99.9 percent probability, the contract of the young center will yield positive value throughout its duration.
In the NHL, contracts matter. For better or worse, every player is judged based on the money he makes and whether he’s worth the price.
And this piece is about the players who are well worth the money.
✍️ @domluszczyszynhttps://t.co/6NoQcHJj28pic.twitter.com/xbsCtg6srC
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) July 29, 2025
“The best contract in hockey belongs to Jack Hughes,” Luszczyszyn wrote. “As the cap continues to climb, Hughes’ modest $8 million cap hit continues to look more audacious each season.”
Luszczyszyn’s analysis compared performance metrics, cap impact and projected value across the league. He noted that only seven players are projected to provide a “bigger game-to-game impact” than Hughes entering next season.
The analyst called the disparity between Hughes’ output and his cap hit “the largest in the league.”
“For roughly the price of one Elias Lindholm, the Devils get a franchise center, a borderline MVP threat, and one of the league’s most impactful players,” Luszczyszyn said. “This deal is as good as it gets.”
Hughes, 24, recorded 70 points in 62 regular-season games last season despite injuries, and has totaled 351 points throughout 368 NHL games.
Locked In and Leading the Devils
A former first-overall pick from the 2019 NHL draft, Hughes is coming off two shoulder surgeries in the past few years, and he’s played more than 62 games just once in his six-year career.
Even then, Hughes continues to trend upward as a top-tier playmaker with elite production at a more than reasonable price.
The Devils saw the potential in Hughes and signed him to his current deal early in his career, before he became an All-Star player for the first time in the 2021-22 season.
“The difference between what Hughes is and what his contract demands is massive, the largest in the league.” Luszczyszyn added, “It’s what informs the chances of Hughes living up to his deal, a laughably high 99.9 percent.”
Related: NHL Analyst Pours Cold Water on Speculation About Canucks’ Quinn Hughes
Related: Three New Teams Mentioned as Potential Destinations for Flames’ Nazem Kadri
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.