The NHL playoffs are in full swing, but the rumor mill is buzzing as loudly as it has in weeks. We’re seeing leaks across the league, and with the Minnesota Wild’s elimination at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, there are plenty of rumors coming from there. Bill Guerin is considered one of the more aggressive general managers in the league, as he proved by giving the biggest contract in the league to Kirill Kaprizov and trading a massive package for Quinn Hughes, but it sounds like he didn’t get everything he wanted this season.
On Friday, a few rumors started to trickle through. One that caught many people’s attention was the proposal Guerin sent to his division rival, the St. Louis Blues. Michael Russo of The Athletic reported that the Wild offered young goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and 22-year-old winger Danila Yurov for Robert Thomas. The Blues turned it down, but this is something they could revisit this offseason.
Speaking of this offseason, they have a bigger fish to fry. Quinn Hughes is eligible for a contract extension on July 1st. He said in his postseason press conference that he’s open to a new deal with his current team. That’s what we expect him to say.
What is surprising is what Guerin tried to do last season. At some point, Russo reported that Guerin spoke to then-Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald about a possible Luke Hughes trade. Who knows what the trade looked like, but if Guerin asked about Luke Hughes, we assume he also asked about the man with the Golden Goal, Jack Hughes.
Don't overreact to a Jack Hughes or Luke Hughes rumor
Truthfully, the Devils don’t have the pieces to get Jack and Luke Hughes from the Devils. Matthew Boldy is the start of the conversation, and Wallstedt would have to be there as well, but we’re still about five first-round picks short of making this happen.
We should also ignore most reporting like this. GMs talk all the time, and Guerin and Fitzgerald probably talked a lot. Team USA hockey had an all-star team of GMs in Italy for the Winter Olympics. Joining Guerin and Fitzgerald were Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury, and Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman. There’s no doubt that there were dozens of conversations about trades during the plane rides to Italy and the moments at the hotel bar.
These guys have little time to just sit and focus, and the Olympics was a good reset, but it was also a networking opportunity.
Are we surprised that Guerin asked about Luke, and maybe even Jack Hughes? No, absolutely not. They had ample opportunity to discuss anything under the sun. We’re sure Fitzgerald, if he was allowed to make trades, asked Zito about Sasha Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk.
The rumors are going to persist, but don’t worry. Luke and Jack Hughes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
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