New Jersey Devils fans are not happy with the team’s offseason. This isn’t to say they don’t like the moves in a vacuum. However, the Devils aren’t playing hockey in a vacuum. On the ice, the roster isn’t where it probably should be, especially when Tom Fitzgerald gave the impression it would be a transitional offseason.
Most fans aren’t calling the additions of Connor Brown, Evgenii Dadonov, and the re-signings of Jake Allen and Cody Glass a big offseason. It’s not even an average offseason. This is an incomplete offseason.
On top of all this, the Devils still have to re-sign Luke Hughes. He’s their number-one priority, but we’re almost in August, and he hasn’t been re-signed. Signing him to a long-term deal, preferably eight years long, has to be the goal.
Obviously, the Devils want Luke Hughes to be in New Jersey for his entire career, but there’s more involved here. If the Devils sign Luke Hughes for the max eight years, then Quinn Hughes would have a hard decision to make. With Jack Hughes already in New Jersey, and Quinn Hughes becoming a free agent in two years, this would be the brothers’ best chance to connect in the NHL.
There’s a possibility they’ll connect at the Olympics this year. Both Jack Hughes and Quinn Hughes are close to locks for the team, but Luke Hughes has some work to do. If he comes back fully healthy from his offseason shoulder surgery, and he makes the progression in Year 2 of the Sheldon Keefe tenure that we expect, then he has a chance to be one of the team’s defensemen going to Italy, even if he’s not one of the starters.
That brings us to the topic at hand. What would it take for the Vancouver Canucks to seal their fate and trade Quinn Hughes?
Of course, this conversation started months ago when team president Jim Rutherford basically said Quinn Hughes wanted to play with his brothers. He mentioned the brothers could play in Vancouver, but that seems unlikely at best.
The Devils have the pieces to make a Quinn Hughes deal done. Simon Nemec playing well this season would go a long way to making the trade simple for both sides. The former second-overall pick has a chance to be really good after a rough start. So, the only thing getting in the way of the brothers playing together is the Canucks’ willingness to trade Hughes away.
This won’t happen this offseason, but it could happen as early as during the season. A new post by the Daily Faceoff asks the question, “Are the Canucks the worst team in Canada?”. If that’s the case, wouldn’t the Canucks sell harder than they did last season?
The Canucks have staved off the big moves that change the foundation of the franchise. After trading J.T. Miller, they resisted a move of Hughes, Elias Pettersson, or any other huge piece on the roster. On top of that, they re-signed Brock Boeser this offseason. They think they have something on the roster to make a move in the standings.
It’s questionable at best. If the Canucks tank in the standings, would they move Quinn Hughes? We have to believe they will. Whether it’s Hughes pushing the issue or the Canucks seeing the writing on the wall and prioritizing the value, Quinn Hughes could provide them the type of trade value that sets them up for the next decade.
The Canucks would have to be dreadful for this move to happen. We’re talking worse than last season. While many consider last season the worst-case scenario for the Canucks with all the drama they dealt with, they were actually staying in the race for the Western Conference Wild Card.
They finished the season with 90 points, just six points behind the St. Louis Blues, who took the last Wild Card spot. They stayed close, and it stopped them from blowing it up last season. This next season, it would have to be an explosion for the Canucks to move their captain.
We’re talking Nashville Predators-level disappointing. They need to be one of the six worst teams in the league. Otherwise, the Canucks are going to keep pushing towards the playoffs.
A complete disaster is on the table here. The Canucks are playing with a house of cards, and one too many injuries will have them as one of the worst teams in the league. And that might be the key to getting Quinn Hughes to New Jersey.