New Jersey Devils cannot lose Simon Nemec in potential Quinn Hughes trade

The rumor mill connected to the Vancouver Canucks is on fire, and while Quinn Hughes would be a franchise changer for the New Jersey Devils, they cannot mortgage their future just for a year and a half of the Hughes brothers' connection.

New Jersey Devils v Vancouver Canucks | Derek Cain/GettyImagesThe New Jersey Devils have plenty of valuable young assets they can pare off if they want to trade for Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and bring him in early, but Simon Nemec has proven that he absolutely does not belong in that conversation any longer.

Nemec, quietly still just 21, has emerged as, effectively, the Devils' No. 1 defenseman this season, stepping up in the wake of injuries to…