The New Jersey Devils are likely done adding for now but I’m sure many fans have noticed that as time rolls on closer and closer to training camps that a set of big RFA’s is sitting unsigned. Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks will be signed to new deals, but it is at least a little interesting that they have not found common ground.
The Canucks have $10 million in cap space right now, and that will not be enough for both players so short of them taking massively smaller deals than they deserve. The Canucks have to do something. It is also worth noting that the team is quite frankly not that good, and unless they can feast on the weakest division in hockey in a big way, they will not be a playoff team and are probably less of a threat to win the cup than the Devils.
While Hughes will sign here for now it is currently my belief that in the future all the brothers would love to play together and now that New Jersey has Luke they are a massive front runner for this. If for whatever reason however and Quinn Hughes did want to move the Devils could put together some good offers for the Canucks. Their general manager Jim Benning does make some odd decisions such as trading for the struggling former star defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and his massive deal.
The Devils would have to spend a ton to get the three Hughes brothers together, but in the end, it might be worth it.