There is no secret that the New Jersey Devils want to acquire Quinn Hughes. The team has been linked with a move for the superstar defenseman for quite a while now. Although a trade with the Minnesota Wild has not yet been ironed out, hope remains that general manager Sunny Mehta can get a deal done before the trade deadline. The Devils will, however, have competition in the chase.
The situation has taken an unexpected turn in recent days. Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov has asked for a trade, and just about every NHL team would love to land him. With this in mind, New Jersey Hockey Now’s James Nichols recently discussed the chances of the Devils targeting Kucherov, and also how the forward’s situation affects New Jersey’s chances of landing Hughes.
As Nichols points out, the New Jersey Devils do not exactly have a ton of available money to spend. PuckPedia.com currently lists the team’s cap space at under $1 million. Mehta could likely handle Kucherov’s $9.5 million salary for this season. However, tying him down to a long-term deal potentially reaching $20 million AAV seems unlikely. This is particularly the case if New Jersey still wants Quinn Hughes.
Nevertheless, the Wild have recently been linked to Kucherov as well. If Minnesota could ultimately land the Russian star, they would likely have to offload Hughes. Nichols also mentioned this possibility in their latest article. “If you really zoom the lens in, Kucherov to Minnesota and Quinn to New Jersey actually makes a lot of sense,” claimed the writer.
New Jersey Devils Need Quinn Hughes More than a Star Forward
The New Jersey Devils want to add Quinn Hughes to their roster for several reasons. The most obvious is the fact that he is widely regarded as one of the top offensive defensemen in the NHL. In fact, he has 74 points in 64 total games with the Wild since Minnesota acquired him. On top of this, New Jersey already has Quinn’s brothers Jack and Luke signed to long-term deals.
While most teams would prefer to land Kucherov over Quinn Hughes, the Devils certainly need more help on their blue line. Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes are the team’s only defensemen with a plus/minus rating over +1 this season. Meanwhile, the club has a fairly solid group of forwards. The New Jersey Devils are averaging 3.43 goals per game on the campaign, a figure inside the top 10 in the league.
New Jersey Remains Hopeful of Landing Star Blueliner
While the New Jersey Devils are hoping Minnesota lands Kucherov to help them out in the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes, Elliotte Friedman is one of the few NHL experts linking the Wild with the Lightning superstar. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun and Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin did not name Minnesota as a potential landing spot for Kucherov.
Quinn Hughes also recently claimed that his “feet are planted” in Minnesota and an extension “could happen soon.” Despite this, Mehta and the Devils are likely still exploring a way to bring the star defenseman to New Jersey. The exec has already made significant trades for Connor Hellebuyck and Luke Evangelista since entering the fray.
Devils Pursuit of $47 Million Star Affected by Kucherov Request