New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes, who is the brother of forward Jack Hughes, has not reported to the team's training camp. Luke is in a contract stalemate after the end of his rookie deal.New Jersey general Manager Tom Fitzgerald discussed the situation to the media on Thursday."This is part of the process," Fitzgerald said, via Devis reporter Amanda Stein on X. "We're grinding through this together. Respecting each others opinions. But this is part of the process. We're dissapointed he's not here, he's dissapointed he's not here."Fitzgerald also talked about the urgency of Luke's contract, noting that both sides want to reach an agreement."Urgency-wise, tomorrow is Day 2," Fitzgerald said. "I do believe every day you lose it's an impact on a player. On our end, yeah there’s urgency to get him here, or to continue to that common goal of getting a deal and I believe on their end too there’s some urgency.”Luke had 44 points in 71 games last season, and added 16 power-play assists in over 21 minutes per game. His playoff run ended early with a shoulder injury. Luke had surgery and missed the rest of the series against the Carolina Hurricanes.Fitzgerald mentioned in July that Luke was his top priority this offseason and that the defenseman wants to stay with New Jersey. The goal is a long-term contract."He’s excited," Fitzgerald said, via NHL.com, "He wants to be a Devil long term just like his brother (Jack). We’re excited about that. Players want to stay here. They want to be in New Jersey. They want to be part of something we’re creating."The Devils view Luke as a key player, and both parties are expected to agree on a contract figure and term soon.Jeff Marek's predictions on Luke Hughes’ contract didn't holdTSN's Jeff Marek spoke about Luke Hughes’ contract in August. He discussed the possibility of a delay in reaching an agreement and added that waiting too long does not help young players."I think players understand now, and teams," Marek said, via the "Empty Netters" podcast. "I mean, listen, we just saw this with the Boston Bruins (goalie Jeremy Swayman), like it does nobody any good if a player misses time, whatsoever, especially young players. Like, the pace of the game right now is just too fast."Marek predicted that the signing would be done before training camp. However, that deadline has passed, and the start of the regular season is around the corner.