Given the volatility and magnitude of the situation, just about anything can happen between Quinn Hughes and the Vancouver Canucks, which, of course, can and will have a serious impact on the New Jersey Devils and their future plans.
The Canucks, with a 10-13-3 record and 3-7-1 record at home, look like they are going to be miles off a playoff spot this season, which has already prompted trade rumors involving all of their veteran players, including the likes of Kiefer Sherwood and Conor Garland, among others.
Hughes, 26, is in that conversation by extension, and not necessarily because the Canucks want to trade him, but because they might have to with his contract expiring in 2027.
However, according to Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects, there is the possibility that "wholesale" changes come out of Vancouver. Robinson also raised the point of whether or not the Canucks should allow president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin to be the ones in charge of orchestrating a Hughes trade, given the dire straits the team is in otherwise.
A change in the Canucks front office could mean a change in Quinn Hughes's trade package
Effectively, the Canucks have two options; obvious, I know. They can either let Allvin and Rutherford do the hard part, nuke the team, and bring in a new group with fresh ideas and a different approach, or move on from Allvin and Rutherford and trust a group you have never worked with to trade your franchise player and get some kind of foundational piece(s) in return.
The trade ask, from a pressured group to a new one, could vary significantly. Allvin and Rutherford may seek young players and NHL-ready prospects, while an incoming front office may opt to bide time with draft picks and freshly drafted prospects. There's also the factor of the Devils having to negotiate with unfamiliar faces.
In the long term, not much changes for the Devils otherwise. Hughes is still a near-lock to hit free agency in 2027, and, as long as Jack and Luke are on the Devils, the team holds all the cards. They're competitive, tight-knit, and have the family aspect, of course.
Perhaps the added pressure forces Allvin, Rutherford, and the Canucks to move Hughes early - perhaps before the Winter Olympics - but it's impossible to say if the Devils would end up being the beneficiaries of the ongoing meltdown in Vancouver.