The New Jersey Devils really want to unite the Hughes brothers, but in doing so they are going to have to let go of their captain, Nico Hischier to do it.
Nico Hischier is the captain and backbone of the New Jersey Devils, one of the best two-way centres in the entire NHL and just came off a season with 28 goals and over 1,000 face-off wins. He's also looking for an extension, and with rumours that the Devils want to bring Quinn Hughes in to play with his brothers - it could cost them their leader.
Hischier, 27, is firmly locked in his prime years and someone who can be consistently relied on to score, hold onto the puck, win face-offs, and be an absolute nightmare to play against.
He had 66 points in 82 games this season, won 55.8% of his face-offs (1,008 wins), a fantastic possession rate (56.5 CF%, 56.1 FF%), and did we mention he's a killer on the PK? He's a complete package and shown several times why he was deserving of a first overall pick.
Pierre LeBrun says Hischier and Devils are discussing a possible extension but that hardly means he's sticking around
But he's also in the last year of his contract and no doubt is going to get a raise over his $7.25-million salary and there's going to be a lot of money in New Jersey thrown around, especially if the team still wants Quinn Hughes.
So it's interesting then to see that Pierre LeBrun reports that while the Devils and Hischier are looking at the foundation of an extension, he's making the case that Hischier can help a lot of teams and may be considered a trade possibility:
He'd be ideal for Montreal, but he'd also be ideal for Minnesota; the Kings; I could make arguments for 12 NHL teams; they've commenced the process of seeing what an extension may look like.
Actually it could be argued (and has) that the reason Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald was let go this offseason was in part because he wasn't able to actually land Hughes before he was dealt to the Minnesota Wild.
But Hughes while open to re-signing in Minnesota, he hasn't. With both his and Hischier's contracts expiring at the same time, it's understandable why the Devils may be covering all their bases - get the extension number from Hischier, then weigh it against bringing in Hughes.
The Devils would look heavenly with Quinn Hughes but at what cost?
Again, if Hughes re-signs with Minnesota before 2027 this becomes a moot point, but it's interesting to see that the Devils are still hellbent (pun intended) on getting Hughes, even if it costs them their two-way superstar.
If you take an honest look at both players you have two completely different but equally important pieces.
Hughes is an elite offensive force who could dominate the backend with names like Simon Nemec, Johnathan Kovacevic, and his brother Luke and give New Jersey and Sheldon Keefe an offensive maestro they haven't had since Scott Niedermayer.
But on the flip side, you don't get many two-way centres with elite possession, face-off, defensive and offensive numbers, who are firmly in their prime, durable, and also a captain with impeccable and respected leadership skills. Hischier gives you all of that and then some.
But if he does end up being shopped, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to give up whatever New Jersey asks of them, because he would instantly be the help Auston Matthews needs. If he's enough to push them past Florida thanks to Hischier being Toronto's version of Aleksander Barkov? That could lead to Matthews sticking around past his current deal.
There is no doubt that Quinn Hughes makes the New Jersey Devils offensive lineup one of the most dangerous and exciting in hockey, plus there's no telling what type of chemistry there could be between the three brothers - this is Slap Shot on steroids.
But losing Hischier makes the Devils overall worse because not only is he their best two-way player, but he's their humble and beloved leader. If that's worth pushing for a Stanley Cup, then we know loyalty only runs so deep in New Jersey.
Would you rather have Nico Hischier or Quinn Hughes?
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