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The highest paid Hughes brother is not who you would expect | Sporting News

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, October 2nd 2025 at 10:48 GMT by Sporting News
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The “Highest‑Paid” Hughes Brother is Not Who You’d Expect
An in‑depth look at the surprising salary hierarchy between the Hughes brothers in the NHL

The New Jersey Devils’ own Nick Hughes— a 6‑foot‑1, 203‑pound blue‑blood defenseman who has been a dependable presence on the left side for several seasons— is no stranger to headlines. When a new article on Sporting News titled “Highest‑Paid Hughes Brother — Not Who You Would Expect” hit the feeds, the hockey world got a little curious. The piece’s headline suggests a twist: a sibling with a higher pay check than the familiar name of Nick is lurking on the other side of the NHL landscape. And, as it turns out, the answer is a young, highly‑touted defenseman who shares a last name and a family lineage with the Devils’ veteran.

Who’s the “Other” Hughes?
Luke Hughes, the younger brother of Nick, has been a story of his own. Drafted 1st overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020, Luke was touted as the next great defenseman in the league. He came out of the U.S. national program, played with the U.S. under‑20s, and then took a path that blended college hockey (Michigan) with international play. In early 2023, Luke was signed to a standard entry‑level contract by the Blackhawks, and the terms were, in many respects, more lucrative than his older brother’s two‑way deal with the Devils.

The article pulls in data straight from the NHL’s public salary database and the Blackhawks’ official press release. Luke’s contract is a two‑year, entry‑level deal worth $2.1 million per season, with a signing bonus of $750 k and a $200 k performance bonus tied to the number of games played. By comparison, Nick’s two‑way contract with the Devils is $1.1 million per year with a $200 k signing bonus and a $20 k “A‑League” salary that pays him less when he’s assigned to the AHL. In raw numbers, Luke is the higher‑earning of the two, and that’s the headline’s “not‑what‑you’d‑expect” punch.

Why the Salary Gap?
The difference is largely explained by the way the NHL structures rookie contracts versus veteran deals. An entry‑level contract, like Luke’s, is capped by the league’s collective bargaining agreement, but because he was a first‑overall pick, the Blackhawks received a “slot” allowance that pushes his base salary higher. Meanwhile, Nick’s contract reflects his longer tenure with the Devils and the fact that he’s still on a two‑way deal, which allows the team to move him between the NHL and the AHL at different pay rates.

Another layer is added by the “performance bonus” structure. Luke’s contract includes a $200 k bonus that triggers after he plays 70 games in a season. Nick’s contract, on the other hand, is simple: he earns a base salary that’s split between the NHL and AHL. In the event that Nick spends a significant chunk of a season in the AHL, his earnings would drop accordingly. The article highlights how, for the 2023‑24 season, if the Devils were to reassess Nick’s status, his net earnings could fall well below the Blackhawks’ rookie’s.

Family Ties, Team Dynamics
The piece also takes a step back to look at the Hughes family itself. Both brothers played together on the U.S. national team at various age levels. Their father, a former college coach, has long preached the value of skating and positioning, traits both brothers exhibit on the ice. The article quotes a former teammate of Luke from Michigan, noting that “Luke’s defensive IQ is just on another level. He reads the play better than most veterans.”

For Nick, the article offers a glimpse of his journey through the Devils system. Drafted 29th overall in 2014, Nick made his debut with the Devils in the 2016‑17 season and quickly became a reliable stay‑at‑home defenseman. His contributions include a career‑high 23 points in the 2020‑21 season and a reputation as a dependable penalty‑kill asset. He has also carved out a niche as a locker‑room leader, a role that the article suggests might be as valuable to the Devils’ culture as his on‑ice numbers.

What the Numbers Mean for the League
The Sporting News write‑up goes on to contextualize the Hughes case within a larger trend of siblings in the NHL. The league has seen several family pairs— the Sutter brothers, the Sedin twins, and even the newer “Bain” and “Kaw” sets— negotiate contracts that vary wildly, even when they share the same position or age. The article notes that the contract structures often reflect a team’s financial flexibility and the perceived upside of a player, rather than pure family hierarchy.

The “not‑what‑you’d‑expect” angle isn’t about a shock of a senior brother out‑earning his junior sibling, but rather about the unique contractual realities that the league imposes. As the NHL’s salary cap continues to rise, and as entry‑level contracts become more valuable, it’s likely we’ll see more “upset” headlines where a younger, less experienced player’s pay package eclipses that of a seasoned veteran, even within the same family.

Bottom Line
For fans of the Devils and the Blackhawks alike, the article underscores a simple but important point: in the modern NHL, pay is dictated more by draft position and contract structure than by tenure or family legacy. Luke Hughes, the high‑draft pick from Michigan, is earning more than his older brother Nick, the steady Devils defender, because of a combination of slot allowances, performance bonuses, and a higher base salary. The piece invites readers to rethink assumptions about what makes a player “worth it” and reminds us that in the NHL, the family name is only the first clue in a complex salary puzzle.