What will the Devils do after missing on Quinn Hughes?

The New Jersey Devils were long rumored to be in on defenseman Quinn Hughes, due to his two brothers, Jack and Luke, already being in their lineup. But it was the Minnesota Wild who pulled off the trade, acquiring the Norris Trophy-winning blueliner after sending forward Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren and the Wild’s 2026 first-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks.

If Quinn Hughes will play with the Devils, it won’t be until he becomes an unrestricted free agent following the 2026-27 season. In the meantime, what will New Jersey do? Will they continue to pursue a top-level blueliner or will they look to the available top-six forwards from around the league?

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton are joined by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta to discuss the Hughes trade, Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald and what comes next for the Devils.

Carter Hutton: I want to move over to a guy who may be on the hot seat, and that’s Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald. What are the Devils’ moves going forward now that they missed out on Hughes?

David Pagnotta: Well first of all, he’s not in jeopardy of his job. I know that’s been hyped up in the last little bit, especially within that fanbase because they couldn’t get Hughes. And I get it, you’re ticked off, and New Jersey is a very passionate fanbase.

But, even before the Hughes discussion entered the mix, he’s been in the mix for a top-six guy. I’m sure he’s pivoted a bit to reignite those conversations, but he’s been linked to Brayden Schenn in St. Louis Blues and Ryan O’Reilly and Steven Stamkos with the Nashville Predators.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…