Quinn Hughes extension talk with the Minnesota Wild has cooled, and that shift alone is enough to get New Jersey's attention.
Hockey Patrol flagged the change earlier this week, and the shift in tone from a week ago is hard to miss.
One week ago, the deal was reportedly considered a done deal. Now head coach John Hynes is only saying he is "very optimistic" Hughes will re-sign.
That kind of language shift usually means something has changed behind the scenes between the two sides.
It also revives a storyline that has surfaced before. New Jersey has been connected to Hughes as a potential reunion spot with his brother Jack.
Jack Hughes posted 27 goals and 50 assists for 77 points over 61 games with the Devils this past season.
He closed the year red hot too, piling up 18 points over his final 10 games.
A reunion with brother Jack has been floated before
Quinn Hughes gives Minnesota just as much to lose. He posted 76 points of his own this past season, plus 15 more over 11 playoff games.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald and the Devils finished 42-37-3 for 87 points and 21st overall, a season that leaves real cap room to work with.
None of that means a trade is close. It just means any hesitation out of Minnesota gets read differently with a sibling reunion sitting in the background.
General manager Bill Guerin has been through a slow negotiation before with Kirill Kaprizov, and that comparison is exactly what insiders said this situation would avoid.
Hockey Patrol's full breakdown lays out how the language actually changed over the past week.
-
A cooling tone from Hynes does not confirm anything is broken, but it is exactly the kind of opening that keeps the New Jersey chatter alive.
Would you rather see Quinn Hughes stay in Minnesota or join his brother in New Jersey?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
It's official: St-Louis is now linked to the Vancouver Canucks
