The New Jersey Devils, by all accounts, did make an earnest effort to trade for Vancouver Canucks superstar and captain Quinn Hughes and reunite him with his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes, but as it turns out, their offer was nowhere near up to snuff.
On Friday night, the Canucks finally pulled the trigger on the blockbuster trade, sending Hughes, 26, to the Minnesota Wild for prospects Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi, and a 2026 first-round pick.
According to Canucks president Jim Rutherford via Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet, the Canucks had negotiated with Eastern Conference teams as Hughes wished, but "nobody else came close" to the Wild's offer once GM Bill Guerin said he wanted in.