NHL Betting Odds and Rumours: Luke Hughes, Mason McTavish among top RFAs still unsigned
The majority of NHL free agents are signed and ready for training camp, but two big names have yet to put pen to paper.
New Jersey’s Luke Hughes and Anaheim’s Mason McTavish remain unsigned as the calendar flips to September.
So, what’s the hold up on contracts for Hughes and McTavish? Let’s dig in.
Make sure to check out Sports Interaction’s complete list of NHL game odds and NHL futures.
Luke Hughes, LD, New Jersey Devils
The top priority for the Devils in the off-season was to lock up defenceman Luke Hughes on a long-term deal, so it has to be a little discouraging for general manager Tom Fitzgerald that no deal has been done as we hit September.
This stalemate is a bit out of left field when you consider Fitzgerald was able to sign Hughes’ brother Jack to an eight-year contract coming out of his entry-level deal.
New Jersey has a little over $6 million in cap space currently available, which isn’t much to work with if they want a long-term deal for Hughes. The 21-year-old’s market value probably exceeds the $8 million cap hit Jack holds.
But, if the Devils give Luke a bridge deal, the cap hit would be lower and more manageable. The risk is setting Hughes up for an even bigger pay day in a couple years.
Hughes reportedly wants a five-year contract, which would take him to unrestricted free agency. New Jersey likely wants to avoid that as it would set Jack and Luke up to be UFAs in the same off-season and give the brothers a lot of leverage. Remember, there’s rumours Luke and Jack would like to some day play with brother Quinn of the Vancouver Canucks.
There’s a lot of ways this contract could go and it seems to be more about term than AAV. A two or three year bridge deal or eight-year max is preferable for the Devils, while Hughes wants five years.
Mason McTavish, C, Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim currently has the most cap space available in the league at just north of $20 million, so clearing cap room isn’t an issue for signing Mason McTavish. However, GM Pat Verbeek has a history making younger players wait until they get a big pay day, so it’s not a big surprise to see him play hardball with McTavish.
The Ducks reportedly prefer to sign McTavish to a long-term deal rather than bridge him. They gave Troy Terry a seven-year contract with a $7 million AAV a few years ago, which could be a starting point for McTavish’s new deal.
McTavish is in a tougher spot when negotiating because he doesn’t have arbitration rights, but he’s also a 22-year-old with a high offensive ceiling. He’s coming off career-highs in goals (22), assists (30) and points (52) and he did it while improving his defensive play.
A comparable for McTavish’s contract could be Quinton Byfield of the L.A. Kings. Byfield, who is a year older than McTavish, signed a five-year contract with a $6.25 AAV last summer after a career-high 55-point campaign.
Despite teams reportedly calling Anaheim about trade interest in McTavish, the belief is Verbeek wants to work out a long-term deal. Young, NHL-ready centres are hard to find, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
