Suggested Blockbuster Trade Sees Wild Land Devils’ Jack Hughes – The Hockey Writers –

There have been monster trades in the past in the NHL, most recently when Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild from the Vancouver Canucks in one of the most unexpected moves in recent history, but speculation is surrounding him again this offseason.

Most fans and insiders believe Hughes will eventually sign an extension with the Wild, considering their general manager, Bill Guerin, said talks are ongoing between Hughes and the team. Without the extension signed yet, as the 2026-27 regular season approaches, some people have begun to wonder if there is a world he could get moved again.

The Wild gave up a lot to get Hughes from the Canucks, so getting assets back instead of losing him for nothing if he were to hit the free agent market next summer makes some sense. However, all signs point to him signing an extension at some point, so the idea of him being traded again seems more fan-driven at this point.

The Hughes brothers have all said they would love to play with each other someday, and while the easiest path for that to come to fruition is for Quinn to sign with the New Jersey Devils at some point, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen.

So, what if Jack Hughes was traded to the Wild instead?

Obviously, the odds that the Devils ever trade him are extremely low. However, nothing is surprising in the NHL anymore, especially after his brother Quinn was traded, on top of superstar forward Mikko Rantanen being traded twice in the same season.

In this article, we take a look at a hypothetical trade between the Wild and Devils, involving Jack Hughes, not Quinn. Keep in mind, zero reports indicate that these two teams have had any trade conversations, nor is there any reason to believe either of the Hughes brothers will be traded. This is just a fun piece that looks at a “what if?”

Wild Land Hughes Brothers, Devils Land Haul in Return

Hughes is coming off a solid season with the Devils, where he scored 27 goals and added 50 assists for 77 points through 61 games. He also scored the winning goal for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in overtime against Team Canada, finishing that tournament with four goals and three assists through six games.

He is an elite player at both ends of the ice who can add a lot of positive production for a contending team like the Wild, and even though he struggles to stay healthy, he would be someone that any team would be willing to pay a high price to acquire him if he was available.

Hughes has a 10-team no-trade clause and would need to approve a deal to the Wild, but if he does, the Wild should be able to make it work.

If this were a trade that gets completed at the 2027 Trade Deadline, the Wild would have $5.3 million in cap space, meaning they wouldn’t have to move much money out to add Hughes, and that’s the most logical time to make that move.

A hypothetical deal likely keeps Luke Hughes as the only brother who is playing on his own, considering it doesn’t make much sense for the Devils to add him to this deal, so it looks like this:

• Wild Receive: C Jack Hughes
• Devils Receive: C/LW Yakov Trenin, C/RW Danila Yurov, C/RW Charlie Stramel, 2028 first-round pick, 2029 first-round pick

The Devils get an incredible haul in return for Hughes and can start to retool with a young forward core, while the Wild go all-in to push for a Stanley Cup.

As I mentioned already, I don’t think a deal ends up sending Jack to the Wild, but hey, anything is possible, and if this does ever come to fruition, a package like that makes sense.

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