Rangers general manager Chris Drury always knew he was going to have some work to do, figuring out a fair contract for third-year forward Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft, whose rookie deal expires after this season.
But when the Devils locked up their own third-year star, Jack Hughes, on Tuesday, that probably made Drury’s life just a little more difficult.
Hughes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, signed an eight-year, $64 million contract extension Tuesday that carries an average annual value of $8 million. And he is the best comparable to Kakko, seeing that they were by far and away the top two players in that draft, and there was even debate in some circles as to which of them should go first.