The New Jersey Devils have been linked to Quinn Hughes for ages due to obvious reasons, but a recent report on Friday makes it a more realistic possibility than ever before.
According to reporter Rick Dhaliwal in an appearance on Canucks Talk, the Vancouver Canucks are seriously considering a trade of the eldest Hughes brother if he isn't willing to commit to a long-term contract extension. Rather than possibly losing him for nothing in free agency or even playing on an expiring deal, the Canucks would prefer to capitalize on Quinn's value as soon as possible.
Read More: New Jersey Devils suddenly clear frontrunners to land Quinn Hughes
It goes without saying that the Devils would be absolutely eager to make a deal with Vancouver and reunite Quinn with his younger brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes. New Jersey would not only have a marketing gold mine on its hands but would also further augment a young, hungry core with Stanley Cup aspirations.
The Devils additionally have the assets to make such a deal, thanks to their intriguing prospects and clear NHL talent they can send to Vancouver. In particular, the number of young defensemen in New Jersey's system should be appealing to the Canucks, as they'd look to get a Quinn Hughes replacement.
However, there is one last roadblock for the Devils to consider before making this happen: their salary cap situation. With Quinn looking for a long-term contract, New Jersey would need to add another commitment to a nucleus that already has several deals locked in place.
At the moment, the 26-year-old defenseman has a cap hit of $7.875 million; the Devils have only $2.68 million in current space, with $1.19 million in dead cap space.
Taking that into account, the Devils would need to move a highly-paid player in a trade (whether in a Quinn trade or another deal across the league) to even have the opportunity to add Quinn. Of course, that doesn't take a future contract into account, which will undoubtedly result in a larger cap hit.
New Jersey's highest-paid player this season is Dougie Hamilton, who has a full no-movement clause in his deal. Considering how long he's been in Black and Red, he's probably not too keen on waiving it and would love to play with all three of the Hughes brothers.
Ondřej Palát has a cap hit of $6 million over the next two seasons, but he also has a no-movement clause and few teams would want to take on his deal, especially since he's been lacking in production.
The Devils will likely stop at nothing to acquire Quinn, as his skill and leadership would instantly make them one of the best teams in the NHL for years to come. But general manager Tom Fitzgerald needs to get creative and trim down enough cap room to even bring Quinn to Newark, let alone keep him there for the foreseeable future.