The Devils Must Pick a Priority: Hughes Not Only Trade Target

The New Jersey Devils have big ambitions heading into the deadline. Quinn Hughes rumors aren’t fading, Steven Stamkos chatter keeps resurfacing, and Ryan O’Reilly’s name still floats around as an ideal veteran stabilizer. The problem? Wanting all three and being able to afford even one are very different realities.

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As Jim Biringer outlined in his recent Substack post, New Jersey’s path to any major acquisition starts with accepting a hard truth: the Devils simply don’t have the cap space to chase every dream at once. Elliotte Friedman outlined this on Saturday’s headlines and then addressed it on a recent 32 Thoughts, reminding everyone that New Jersey is operating strictly “dollar-in, dollar-out.” Every addition requires a subtraction, and that’s where things get messy.

The Devils would have to clear out some significant contracts that some deem either immovable or challenging to trade. Among them, Dougie Hamilton, Jonas Siegenthaler, and Ondrej Palat each have 10-team no-trade clauses. Palat also carries a no-move clause, making waivers a non-starter. Evgenii Dadonov can’t be traded at all until March 1.

Even if the Devils wanted to make a splash for Quinn Hughes, the cost would be painful: Simon Nemec, Dawson Mercer, and a first-round pick, with prospects like Seamus Casey or Anton Silayev likely entering the discussion. That alone makes the decision difficult. However, that still doesn’t fix the cap issue. Vancouver isn’t eager to retain salary, and Hughes holds enough leverage to influence the timing and destination of any move.

Meanwhile, pursuing established veterans like Stamkos or O’Reilly brings the same salary cap obstacles. New Jersey can dream big, but they can’t escape math.

The Devils Might Have to Make a Difficult Decision

That leaves Tom Fitzgerald with a difficult but unavoidable decision: pick a priority. It might seem like an easy decision to go all-in on Hughes, but the cost of depleting the active roster is real. How much does it hurt their playoff chances to remove several key pieces this season? Or, do they give up less and target a veteran center? They could always take a run at Hughes in free agency or in the offseason.

The Quinn Hughes saga is about far more than just Hughes. Acquiring him means the Devils are done adding, and the question about coming out net positive is a concern.

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