The New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild may be circling the same piece on the board, and the move that ties it all together is Dylan Larkin.
TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said Minnesota’s biggest need is at center, which is why Larkin sits right at the heart of the conversation. If the Wild can land him, the ripple effect could reach Quinn Hughes, whose future remains connected to both Minnesota and New Jersey.
LeBrun framed it this way:
“And until Quinn Hughes signs an extension with the Wild, or if he does at all, the whole New Jersey thing is a legitimate storyline.
Trading for Dylan Larkin, if Minnesota can pull that off, would be the chess move reacting to the chess move, if you will, in terms of the Hellebuyck deal to New Jersey, no question about it.”
That leaves Minnesota weighing whether adding Larkin could help persuade Hughes to stay, or whether the pull of his brothers in New Jersey is still too strong.
Elsewhere, Alexander Nikishin’s situation with the Carolina Hurricanes still feels unsettled, even after he re-signed for one year. On Daily Faceoff, David Pagnotta and Jeff Marek discussed the possibility that he could still be moved later, or after the season.
Marek said, “They had all the leverage in this deal.”
Pagnotta agreed that Carolina handled the situation well, considering the timing of the trade request.
“But I think they handled this in a pretty positive way under the circumstances. Especially, you know, when you make a trade request within a couple of weeks of winning a Stanley Cup, that’s a tough dig for, for that club, and and I get it. But they, I think they handled this the right way.
Everybody’s going to reset on this one. He’s going to, you know, get back to playing, see if he can start bumping up the numbers, bumping up his performance a little bit.
And then whether he stays all season or he’s a trade piece later on. Don’t get the sense unless he’s playing top line minutes that he’s going to change his overall position.”
Marek added that Carolina’s top-four group is a hard one to crack.
“I agree. Like this is, this is a really, really again, like you reported on Jalen Chatfield, I believe it was, was last week, and the future of him with the Carolina Hurricanes. But this is a really tough top four to break.”
Pagnotta’s answer was blunt: “Yes, very.”
The conversation also touched on Simon Edvinsson, with Marek noting that Carolina could be involved in those discussions as well, which would only make the picture more complicated.
“This is a really, a really tricky one to get into. And let’s say, the Carolina Hurricanes are very much involved in the sweepstakes for Simon Edvinsson.”
Pagnotta responded, “Right.”
Marek continued, “That makes it even more difficult.”
Pagnotta finished the thought simply: “Yeah.”
In Other News...
Jack And Luke Hughes Are Running Into A Costly Devils Problem
The Devils have gotten the kind of offense that should make the standings look friendlier than they do, with Jack Hughes still driving play and producing at a strong clip early on. Even so, there is a familiar problem hanging over the group: the attack is generating chances, but too many of those looks are getting swallowed up before they ever reach the net, which makes every offensive push feel a little more expensive than it should be.
Jack and Luke Hughes are both getting caught in that same traffic, and the blocked-shot issue is part of why New Jerseys scoring efficiency has lagged behind its overall production. For a team that expects its top skill players to tilt games, finding cleaner lanes to the goal could be the difference between good shifts and actual payoff, and it is the kind of detail the Devils will have to sort out if they want the offense to start cashing in more often. [Read more 🡒]
Jesper Bratt Debate Just Got More Uncomfortable For Devils Fans
Jesper Bratt has become one of the most important drivers of the Devils attack, but the conversation around him is shifting from admiration to uncertainty. After a career-high season, his goal total has leveled off and his assist production has dipped, which makes for a tricky evaluation of where his true baseline sits as he moves deeper into his prime and remains central to New Jerseys offense.
Analytics models have only added to the unease, suggesting that last years scoring surge may have been more of an outlier than a new norm. For a player whose value is tied so closely to his playmaking, that kind of projection matters, because it raises the possibility that the Devils may need to rethink how they measure his impact if the numbers keep settling in lower than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Trade Drama Just Got Murkier After Insider Walks Back Claim
The Devils defense group keeps finding itself in the middle of roster talk, and the latest twist only adds another layer of confusion. Elliotte Friedman has walked back an earlier report that said Brenden Dillon used his no-trade clause to block a deal last season, clearing up one part of the picture while leaving the rest of it unresolved. What is clear is that Dougie Hamilton did invoke his no-trade protection, which at least gives New Jersey one confirmed piece in a much messier puzzle.
The bigger issue is the one that still does not have a name attached to it. Friedman did not confirm who the other player was, even as Johnny Kovacevic and Jonas Siegenthaler remain possibilities, and that uncertainty matters for a team already working through plenty of defenseman trade chatter under GM Sunny Mehta. With the Devils continuing to adjust the roster, the distinction between rumor, leverage and actual contract protection is becoming harder to separate, and this is one of those stories that could still change depending on which side eventually clarifies it. [Read more 🡒]