NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Tom Fitzgerald knows what the ultimate 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 a result, is not at training camp. The same goes for Anaheim's Mason McTavish and Nashville's Luke Evangelista, and while opening night 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 GM Pat Verbeek expressed disappointment about not having McTavish around. The 22-year-old forward 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 coach Joel Quenneville and his staff.
“We have virtually a whole new coaching staff, and the group is really excited like I’ve never seen before," Verbeek said. "There’s a new system that’s getting implemented. There’s a lot of things to learn, and it takes a lot of reps to get it under each player’s belt. So, when Mason gets here, he’s got a lot of catching up to do.”
Evangelista might not have the high-end-prospect expectations of Hughes or McTavish, but with the Predators looking to get back to the playoffs after being arguably the biggest bust in the league last season, they'd like to have their full group on the ice as soon as possible. A deal of some sort needs to get done first.
“We’re in sort of a daily process,” GM Barry Trotz said. “Obviously we love Luke and that, so we’re going to work through that and see if we can get him here.”
Hughes, a brother of Jack, the Devils' top center, could have a big role in New Jersey whenever he gets there. Work remains on hammering out a contract, though Fitzgerald did not express concern about fitting Hughes in with the remaining cap space the Devils have.
Fitzgerald said he and agent Pat Brisson are grinding through negotiations, and that he texted with Hughes on Wednesday, “knowing that we will get through this at some point.”
“We just don’t know when that point is,” Fitzgerald said. “The top priority is signing Luke Hughes to a long-term deal, and that’s our goal. It hasn’t changed.”
There are only two other unsigned restricted free agents. Vegas' Alexander Holtz is in camp on a professional tryout agreement until a contract is agreed on, while Rasmus Kupari, whose rights are owned by Winnipeg, is signed to play this season in Switzerland.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon does not anticipate any kind of problem getting Holtz signed.
“It’s an important camp for Alex," McCrimmon said. "Sometimes those players don’t participate in camp. I think everybody agreed it was best for him that he did, so that’s his status.”
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AP Sports Writers Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California, Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tennessee, and Mark Anderson in Las Vegas contributed.
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