It's better late than never, as the New Jersey Devils and Luke Hughes finally agreed to a contract extension on Wednesday morning. The team announced the deal , which will span seven years and total $63 million, averaging out to $9 million annually. It is $1 million more annually than his brother Jack makes with the Devils.

Hughes will now attempt to accelerate his training camp experience with the regular season just a week away from starting. Past holdouts that stretched into the regular season usually lead to a poor first season, which is why getting this deal done before then was paramount for Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils' front office.

Hughes recorded 44 points in 71 games in his sophomore season, a three-point drop from his rookie season. A season-ending shoulder injury was

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