Devils Daily: Quinn Hughes Drama; Friedman Free-Agent; Vanhanen Ceiling
New Jersey Devils are certainly licking their chops following the latest Quinn Hughes drama. Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin’s latest comments were… something, and look, if you’re a fan in Minny it has to be at least a little unsettling.
More on that below in the links.
Another headline lies off the ice. We’re all used to hearing Elliotte Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada and the Sportsnet airwaves. Is that about to change?
Elsewhere, Amazon is getting more broadcasts, Detroit isn’t rebuilding, and more.
Devils Trade Rumors & News
New Jersey Hockey Now: Matias Vanhanen was passed over entirely in 2025, then taken 37th overall a year later after a massive WHL season. Here’s the full deep dive on why the playmaking Finnish forward ranks sixth in the system and how a strong freshman year at Boston College could push him even higher.
📺 Devils Rink Report: The Devils’ blue line is largely unchanged this season with the exception of Simon Nemec’s departure. It’s especially surprising given Dougie Hamilton wasn’t expected to be in New Jersey next season. Mehta explained on the latest Devils Rink Report he believes in a bounce-back performance from the defense, headlined by Hamilton and Luke Hughes.
Mehta joined Devils Rink Report LIVE to talk about New Jersey’s summer thus far, Jack Hughes, his roster additions, and more. Tune in! 👇🏼
Please be sure to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel and turn on those notifications for when we go LIVE every Friday!
For podcast listeners, tune into Devils Rink Report on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
ALSO! Devils Rink Report is on TikTok now — Follow us here.
Sign up for the New Jersey Hockey Now newsletter for daily Devils intel straight to your inbox.
NHL Trade Talk, News & National Hockey Now
Credit to Bill Guerin for making himself readily available to the media, espeically right now as he’s negotiating a major contract with Quinn Hughes. However, his latest comments on the situation — that is a surprise to many that it’s not already figured out — don’t exactly exude confidence that things are going to get done. After explaining he “can’t make Quinn sign anything,” Guerin had this to say:
Many have pointed to how the same thing happened last year with Kirill Kaprizov and the fact that talks extended into September. The main difference is that Kaprizov was back in Russia until just before training camp, and didn’t meet with Guerin until he touched down back in the states. Quinn, however, has.
We’ll see where this all goes!
There’s another huge free agent right now, but off the ice. Elliotte Friedman is apparently on the market as of today. Certainly, it would be odd to see him anywhere else but Sportsnet. You have to wonder if Amazon is circling.
DLLS: Speaking of Amazon, Sam Nestler reports the Dallas Stars are leaving the modest Victory+ streaming platform behind and stepping up to a much larger partner. Rather than keeping games free, the club is out in front of a small group of NHL teams moving their in-market broadcasts onto Prime Video.
Pro Hockey Rumors: Filip Hronek remains locked into Vancouver’s rebuild, saying he signed there for eight years because he likes the city and the fans showed up even through a lost season.
Detroit Hockey Now: Here’s why our Kevin Allen says the Detroit Red Wings aren’t a complete teardown, despite the Dylan Larkin black cloud.
Colorado Hockey Now: Cale Makar’s new extension with the Colorado Avalanche made history. Here’s why he never wavered on the eight-year term, despite recent contracts avoiding that kind of commitment.
Toronto Sun: Brynäs made it official Monday, and this one walks through why Calle Jarnkrok left the Maple Leafs after his role faded in Toronto.