This offseason will be remembered for two things: this was the offseason where contracts hit a different octave thanks to Leo Carlsson’s $18 million offer sheet and Cale Makar’s $20.4 million eight-year deal, and this is the offseason where we couldn’t stop talking about Quinn Hughes.
The latter portion of that is partially the responsibility of New Jersey Devils fans. For one, it was a really quiet offseason across the league for the most part. The trade request from Dylan Larkin came before the trade deadline, and going into September, the Red Wings captain is still the Red Wings captain. Connor Hellebuyck asked for a trade, and he’s also still waiting. Brady Tkachuk was traded to play with his brother, and there were a few slightly interesting moves on July 1st (Vincent Trochek to the Mammoth and Darnell Nurse to the Sharks comes to mind).
Since July 2nd when Blake Coleman was traded to the Minnesota Wild, there hasn’t been a major trade or signing of any kind. So, we have to keep ourselves entertained.
The conversation eventually moved to the Devils and Wild rosters when we were trying to figure out who Quinn Hughes will want to play for. The consensus is that the Wild clearly have the better roster, but do they? We’re talking about only on paper and not considering injuries as part of the conversation. Are the Wild more talented than the Devils? Let’s go through this group by group and player by player.
Jack Hughes versus Kirill Kaprizov
Let’s start with the stars, as so much of this conversation will revolve around them. Most would say the Wild have better stars than the Devils, but let’s break it down. When we look at what Jack Hughes can do and what Kirill Kaprizov can do, their impacts are sort of similar. They can both take over a game at a moment’s notice. When looking at the last three years, Hughes has 3.4 points per game, and Kaprizov has 3.39. They are essentially the same impact. If Hughes plays on the penalty kill, one could say that Hughes has a slight advantage, but we’ll call this one a wash because both are great players who change the game.
Result: Equal
Jesper Bratt versus Matt Boldy
When looking at Jesper Bratt, he actually had a down year last season, only putting up 71 points. Previously, he was easily getting a point per game and setting up his teammates at an intense clip. We’re not sure what happened last year, but he should be considered a point-per-game player. Matthew Boldy is more than that. He scored 40 goals last season, something Bratt is not capable of. Bratt can definitely hit 100 points, but so can Boldy at his absolute peak. Boldy wins this one easily.
Result: Boldy by a lot
Nico Hischier versus Joel Eriksson Ek
A couple of years ago, Joel Eriksson Ek was one of the most underrated centers in the league. Today, we’ve gotten a little less overrated and a little more properly rated. The same goes for Nico Hischier, who gets overlooked because he plays on a team that has Jack Hughes. Fortunately, Hischier is getting his due, always seeing himself in the top-20 center rankings. Hischier is much better than JEE, and he would immediately be the top center on the Wild if he were traded there.
Result: Hischier by a lot
Dougie Hamilton versus Brock Faber
This one feels pretty clear, as Dougie Hamilton was a player the Devils were actively trying to get rid of last season, but that’s not the case anymore. Sunny Mehta has taken a liking to Hamilton, and he is prepared to be their top defenseman again. Faber was the Wild’s top defenseman before Quinn Hughes was traded there. Faber really took a step forward offensively, scoring 15 goals and putting up 51 points. It might feel like an outlier year driven by Hughes’s arrival, but it could also be a player coming into his own. Hamilton has been better when looking at a three-year sample size, but Faber clearly looks better when looking ahead to 2026-27.
Result: Advantage Faber
Luke Hughes versus Jonas Brodin
Wild fans really like Jonas Brodin. They will defend him to the death. Devils fans don’t feel the same way about Luke Hughes, and it doesn’t matter. We think 32 out of 32 GMs would trade Brodin for Luke Hughes, including Bill Guerin. His offensive upside mixed with his speed is unstoppable at its peak. The ceiling is so much higher for Hughes, and he has hit it in the past. With him showing up to training camp this year, we expect a much better Luke Hughes, and while Brodin’s floor is much higher, his ceiling is much lower.
Result: Slight Advantage Hughes
Timo Meier versus Blake Coleman
The New Jersey Devils have not gotten what they are hoping for from Timo Meier. They were hoping to get a 40-goal scorer who can hit people and bring a level of toughness that didn’t exist in the top six. He is still a tough guy and defends his teammates, but his finishing has been atrocious. And yet, he still has more goals than Blake Coleman has in the past three years. Meier had his worst year with the Devils last year statistically, and it’s still better than the Wild’s biggest acquisition. This is very clearly Meier with the advantage.
Result: Advantage Meier
Anthony Mantha versus Maxim Shabanov
This one brings a couple of newbies to the stage. Maxim Shabanov was signed by the Wild to build chemistry with Kaprizov and give them a legit scorer while also fitting under their cap space. Last season with the Islanders, Shabanov had 18 points in 44 games. He was insane in the KHL, but we haven’t seen that skill set translate to the NHL in his rookie season. Mantha is joining the Devils after scoring 33 goals last season. Since we’re taking injury out of the equation, this is easily going to Mantha.
Result: Advantage Mantha
Arseny Gritsyuk versus Danila Yurov
Both Danila Yurov and Arseny Gritsyuk had their rookie seasons last year. Yurov is a little younger than Gritsyuk, and the latter was a little better last season. Yurov had 12 goals and 27 points last season, while Grits had 13 goals and 31 points. The Devils’ winger was injured and missed a few more games than Yurov, but both are expected to be much better this season. Let’s just call this one a wash because it’s all excited speculation.
Result: Equal
Bottom Six Forwards
This one is interesting in that the Devils, on paper, seem to have an extreme advantage. The Devils have a bottom six that’s set in place. Evan Rodrigues, Dawson Mercer, Cody Glass, Connor Brown, Nick Bjugstad, and Jesper Boqvist/Stefan Noesen have a higher floor and higher ceiling than Ryan Hartman, Bobby Brink, Yakov Trenin, Nick Foligno, Marcus Foligno, and Michael McCarron. The Devils have multiple 20-goal scorers on their bottom six, including Glass and Mercer, who both have amazing draft pedigrees and are still young enough to grow.
Result: Advantage Devils
Defensive Depth
Outside of the top two, this one is interesting. Brett Pesce when healthy is one of the best players at doing what he does best. He brought the best out of Luke Hughes, but he wasn’t healthy last season, and that hurt his play. Jonas Siegenthaler and Jonathan Kovacevic are great defensive defensemen, but do the Devils really need two of them plus Brenden Dillon? The Wild have Jared Spurgeon, Olli Maatta, and Zach Bogosian at the bottom of their roster. Pesce is the best player listed here, but the Devils’ overvaluing defensive defensemen has the Wild slightly ahead, we suppose.
Result: Advantage Wild
Goaltending
We aren’t going to spend a lot of time here. The Wild win goaltending. The Devils are trying to be cute with their three-goalie rotation, and the Wild have an abundance of options in Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. While we personally like Nico Daws as an option, we cannot, in good conscience, say that going into the season the Devils are in any place to say they have better goaltending than anyone.
Result: Wild by a lot
Conclusion
At the end of the list, the Devils have the advantage at five positions, the Wild have the advantage at four, and they are equal at two. Maybe you can argue that their advantage in goal gives them a slight advantage overall, but is it really enough for Quinn Hughes to look at these rosters and claim the Wild are much better? Logic just doesn’t follow that.
The Devils are good on paper. An insane amount of bad luck has caused them to fall in the standings, including injuries and more missed open nets than we can count. When looking at the talent of these rosters, both feel like bubble playoff teams, with Quinn Hughes turning either one of them into legit contenders.
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