The Minnesota Wild are trying to sign Quinn Hughes to a contract extension, but if he doesn’t, many assume he will head to the New Jersey Devils. Devils fans have proclaimed that joining his brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes in The Meadowlands is Quinn Hughes’s destiny as he heads toward free agency next summer and New Jersey may have sweetened the pot after acquiring Connor Hellebuyck in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the Devils are sending centers Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad, goaltender Nico Daws, prospect Alexander Command, a 2029 second-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Jets in exchange for Hellebuyck, solving their need for a franchise goaltender.
While the Devils gave up a ton to facilitate the trade, the real return may be coming next summer and it’s another obstacle the Wild may have to overcome to finally get Hughes to sign a new contract.
Connor Hellebuyck’s trade paves a clear path for Quinn Hughes to head to Devils
Hughes was acquired by the Wild in a blockbuster trade from the Vancouver Canucks last December. While he became an immediate difference maker for Minnesota after the trade, he came at a steep cost that included center Marco Rossi, forward Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick that became winger Adam Novotny. That price is even steeper considering that Hughes did not sign an extension upon completion of the deal, creating speculation over his future.
Many assumed that Hughes and the Wild would get a deal done over the summer, especially after Hughes said he was open to signing an extension with Minnesota during his exit interview. While the two sides have discussed a deal, it has yet to be finalized with Hughes adding he’s in “no rush” to make a decision.
One of the biggest reasons may be a desire to play with his brothers in New Jersey. Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes have already established themselves as the Devils’s biggest stars as the first and fourth overall picks of the 2019 and 2021 NHL Drafts and Quinn Hughes has been viewed as the final infinity stone that could be added if Hughes enters free agency next summer.
Wild fans have scoffed at this idea considering Minnesota made the playoffs and has a strong core featuring Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber. But the Devils have plenty of talent in their own right including center Nico Hischier and winger Jesper Bratt. The final piece of a contender was improving their goaltending and New Jersey did just that by acquiring Hellebuyck.
A three-time Vezina winner and four-time All-Star, Hellebuyck has been one of the best goalies in the NHL after developing as a fifth-round pick out of UMass-Lowell during the 2012 draft. While his stats were down to a 2.86 goals against average and .895 save percentage last season in Winnipeg, he’s also one year removed from winning the Hart Trophy with a .925 save percentage and 2.00 goals against average during the 2024-25 season.
With Hellebuyck also a member of the USA national team who seems intent in playing together in the NHL, it’s another selling point for Hughes, who continues to mull his options as the clock continues to tick.
The clock is ticking for the Wild to re-sign Quinn Hughes
Hellebuyck’s arrival in New Jersey doesn’t guarantee that Hughes will leave Minnesota, but it’s not an encouraging development. While the Wild could make a massive selling point by trading for Detroit Red Wings center and Hughes’s mentor Dylan Larkin, Friday’s deal sets a floor on what a team should give up for a coveted player.
The rumored deal of center Danila Yurov, prospect Charlie Stramel, a 2026 first-round pick and a top-nine forward such as Yakov Trenin or Ryan Hartman seemed like a fair deal to most Wild fans. But the Red Wings will likely ask for more, knowing how badly Larkin reportedly wants to go to Minnesota and how badly the Wild want to bring him in.
That move could also further weaken the Wild’s depth, which has already been tested due to a slew of injuries and poor performance and put the two teams in a similar situation. If Hughes really wants to play with his brothers, netting Hellebuyck could be a significant tiebreaker and could have him convinced to play out the remainder of his contract and join the Devils next summer – even if it takes some cap gymnastics to fit him under their $16.8 million in cap space per Puckpedia.
Even if the Devils need to move money, that could be a trade away from fitting a contract that could be worth in excess of $20 million per season if Hughes hits the market next summer. It’s a doomsday scenario that seems to be getting closer with each day he doesn’t sign a contract and it could be one that had another tick after New Jersey landed Hellebuyck on Friday.
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