Did the Wild set the stage for a Hughes brothers reunion in Minnesota?

If the brothers want to play together, the easiest path is for Quinn to become a free agent and sign with the Devils, a team that, according to many insiders, was trying hard to find a package to acquire Quinn before the Wild won the sweepstakes.

That scenario would be a blow to the Wild, who gave up former first-round picks Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 to get Hughes. 

Unless Minnesota wins the Stanley Cup with Hughes, the trade might not look like such a sweeping win for the Wild. 

But as former NHL players Paul Bissonnette, Ryan Whitney, and Matt Murley discussed on a recent episode of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, why can't Minnesota find a way to bring Jack and Luke to the State of Hockey to play with Quinn?

Before we get to the obvious sticking point (money), let's hear out Bissonnette, who thinks it's a reasonable possibility.

"[Minnesota is] a hardcore fan base, and I don't think it can be overstated enough: You don't have to live in Canada, where things can be very intense media-wise, but you get to live in a hockey hub like Minnesota, where I think when they leave the rink, they can kind of escape it and it's not so media heavy. It's kind of that perfect balance for hockey junkies like the Hughes brothers," Bissonnette began.

"I feel like a lot of superstars now are really considering those Midwest-type places, where they can go and just focus on hockey. Good teammates, good organizations, good culture, and go and enjoy the rest of their careers. Some people saying, 'Oh, well, he's just going to leave to go play with his brother in a few years.' Oh, yeah?"

Murley chimed in: "Why can't the brothers go play in Minnesota? No one ever said it has to be in New Jersey."

To keep Quinn, the Wild would likely need to make him the NHL's highest-paid defenseman (ignoring that Cale Makar is also going to get a big contract next year). It'd almost certainly have to be well north of the $11.5 million Erik Karlsson is currently getting as the league's highest-paid defender.

That's tricky, even with the salary cap projected to rise to roughly $113 million by 2027–28.

Minnesota will begin paying Kirill Kaprizov $17 million annually next season. Meanwhile, there are already big contracts on the books for Brock Faber ($8.5 million) and Matt Boldy ($7.5 million), even if those are broadly considered good deals.

Ryan Hartman ($4 million), Jared Spurgeon ($7.5 million), and Nico Sturm ($2 million) are due to come off the books after the 2026-27 season, which will help cover Quinn's raise and give Minnesota some cash on top of whatever is allotted via the rising cap. But there are players who will need raises in that same time frame, including goaltender Jesper Wallstedt, defenseman Daemon Hunt, and, following the 2027–28 season, center Danila Yurov.

Still, none of this is possible unless the Devils are willing to trade Jack and Luke, who, at just 24 and 22 years old, respectively, are cornerstone players for a franchise that is in win-now mode. 

Another hurdle is the trade cost for Jack and Luke. If the Devils are willing to trade them, will they want to remain competitive and demand Boldy and Faber, plus draft picks, to get a conversation started? At the moment, the Devils aren't a team looking to offload star players for futures. 

Despite sitting just outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Devils looked like one of the East's best teams early in the season before a rash of injuries — including a long-term absence from Jack Hughes — had them playing with one hand tied behind their back.

It's a lot to dissect, and it's a storyline that hockey fans will be following closely.