The New Jersey Devils have a chance to get involved if either Connor Hellebuyck or Quinn Hughes truly becomes available, and either one would reshape the conversation around the team in a hurry.
Hellebuyck has already asked for a trade out of Winnipeg, while Hughes still has not extended with Minnesota. Hughes added more uncertainty just yesterday when he told reporters that he does not need to sign an extension right now. Neither Winnipeg nor Minnesota appears eager to move its player, but a frustrated Hellebuyck would be a problem in the room, and Hughes reaching unrestricted free agency at the end of the season would obviously be a major concern for Minnesota.
For the Devils, both names fit obvious needs. Goaltending has been a constant issue since Cory Schneider’s prime was derailed by injuries and surgeries, and that history is still hanging over the franchise.
Hughes is a different kind of fit, but an equally tempting one, especially with the brothers already talking openly about wanting to play together. Jack and Luke have already had that chance because of draft luck, and Quinn and Jack represented the United States together in the Olympics, but the three have never been united in the NHL.
Realistically, the Devils probably are not landing both, at least not during this season. But either player would be a serious boost.
Hellebuyck would instantly change the Devils’ outlook in net. Jake Aleen has been good in his time with the team, and Nico Daws may or may not be serviceable, but Hellebuyck would give New Jersey a true #1.
His numbers dipped last season, but that does not mean the decline is permanent. The year before, he put together the best statistical season of his career.
It may not be wise to commit assets and $8.5 million in cap space to a goalie who might be slipping, but the Devils also should not lose sight of the fact that they once spent $6 million on a goalie who was never the proven commodity Hellebuyck is. Sunny Mehta has cleaned up that mess, but the lesson remains.
If Winnipeg really is willing to move him, the price on Hellebuyck should be lower than it would be for a skater, though goalie value is always tricky to pin down. Netminders can be volatile, and they often bring back less in trades because teams know they can win with an average one.
New Jersey picked up some extra assets, mostly in the Simon Nemec trade this summer, but also moved some of them out to bring in Luke Evangelista from Nashville. If the Jets are open to dealing Hellebuyck, the Devils should be asking the question as long as the price stays reasonable.
Even if he only played at the level he showed before his 2024-25 career highs, that would still be a clear upgrade over what New Jersey has had recently.
Quinn Hughes would be a different kind of swing, but just as meaningful. He is one of the NHL’s most complete defenders right now.
He is not Cale Makar - honestly, who is? - but he can put up points, defend well, and move the puck in the right direction. His desire to play with his brothers is no secret, and the earliest that could happen without a trade would be next summer.
If New Jersey found a way to pull it off, Hughes would ease pressure on the rest of the defense and deepen the blue line, even if Minnesota sent another defender back in the deal.
Still, a Hughes trade feels unlikely. Minnesota may well re-sign him, and there are two reasonable readings of where things stand: either he is heading for the market at season’s end, or he is simply waiting for the right moment to put pen to paper.
New Jersey’s problem is the likely asking price. It should be massive, and for good reason.
The only way this starts to make sense is if Hughes does not want to stay through the season and makes it clear that New Jersey is the only team he would extend with. That does not seem especially likely.
Any move for either player would also require money and pieces going out the door, and the Devils may not have enough to satisfy the other side depending on what Winnipeg or Minnesota wants. Hellebuyck would probably cost less, again because of the position and the down season.
The only path to landing both would be a Hellebuyck trade, then signing Quinn in the summer, with current Devils players moved out either in that deal or separate ones to make room. Even then, that is not the outcome to bet on.
The stars are probably not lining up for New Jersey to become a super team in one season.
But if Sunny Mehta can land even one of them, the Devils would be stronger, deeper, and a little easier to believe in heading into the season.
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