A summer theory that sounded a little too tidy at first has started to look less like internet nonsense and more like something the NHL might actually have to deal with. The idea is simple enough: members of Team USA’s Olympic roster may be steering toward the same destination, and the New Jersey Devils keep popping up in the middle of it.
The latest jolt came over the weekend, when the Devils acquired Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. That deal landed months after Hellebuyck had publicly asked for a move, but the timing still turned heads because it came only days after reports that Team USA teammate Dylan Larkin had widened his own trade list.
One of the new teams on that list? New Jersey.
That’s not the only piece feeding the speculation. Quinn Hughes has also been at the center of persistent chatter, with the belief that he’s holding off on an extension in Minnesota because he wants to join brothers Luke and Jack in New Jersey. If that happens, the Devils would not just be getting another elite American player - they’d be completing a family reunion.
Even Elliotte Friedman has acknowledged the noise. On his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, he didn’t go so far as to guarantee anything, but he did say the situation looks coordinated. He can’t say for certain New Jersey will pull it off, but he did note that the Hellebuyck move looks like the opening piece of a larger plan.
Of course, the other side of this is that it could all be coincidence. Players have more control over where they land than they used to, and with an Olympic group built around a shared national identity, it isn’t hard to imagine conversations happening along the way. Still, the Devils are the team everyone is watching now.
The money side is where things get interesting, too. Hellebuyck’s $8.5 million salary fit into the picture without much trouble, and New Jersey currently has just $121K in space left. That doesn’t leave much wiggle room, but it doesn’t shut the door either.
If the Devils try to swing a deal for Larkin, they’d have to clear salary. Dougie Hamilton stands out as a logical name because his $9 million cap hit more than covers Larkin’s cost.
New Jersey could move Hamilton in a separate deal or include him directly in a trade with Detroit. He has a full no-move clause, but if he’s told he wouldn’t be retained after his contract expires, he might be willing to waive it for the right destination.
Hughes is the toughest part of the puzzle. He wouldn’t require a trade because he’s a pending UFA, but the cap math would still be brutal.
New Jersey would likely need to move on from Brenden Dillon, Cody Glass, and Evan Rodrigues as free agents, which would clear about $9.5 million in salary. If the cap increase doesn’t get them close enough to a contract that could reach $20 million per season, the Devils would need to shed even more money unless Hughes agrees to take a team-friendly deal to play with his brothers.
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