If the Vancouver Canucks want to bring Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes to Vancouver to join older brother Quinn Hughes, they are going to have to pay up.
Canucks GM Patrik Allvin knows that, and Canucks president Jim Rutherford knows that. But Rutherford vowed to do whatever it takes to keep Quinn in Vancouver Monday, and there are ways to make that happen.
However, all roads lead to the New Jersey Devils and their GM, Tom Fitzgerald. It's going to take two to tango if this pipe dream has any chance of becoming reality.
Canucks trade No. 1: Canucks and Devils swap
Luke Hughes is a pending restricted free agent due for a massive pay day this summer, so if the Canucks want to add the final two pieces of the Hughes trifecta, they will have to pay up via trade and via Luke's next contract.
In this trade, the Devils land multiple pieces to help them round out their roster to allow them to continue on as competitive, Stanley Cup-contending team.
Marcus Pettersson serves as the direct replacement to Luke Hughes and could act as the foil to a young player like Simon Nemec or Seamus Casey. If the Devils continue to pair Jonas Siegenthaler with Johnathan Kovacevic, Pettersson is perfectly capable of playing in a featured role alongside Dougie Hamilton, too.
The Devils have been in need of a top-six winger with Ondrej Palat and Dawson Mercer both falling short of expectations in the last few years. Garland, 29, scored 19 goals and 31 assists this year, reaching the 50-point mark for the second time in his career. He'd be a much-welcome addition to a Devils team getting very little scoring outside of Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt.
The Canucks take on the declining Palat to help the Devils fit in Elias Pettersson's astronomical $11.6 million cap hit, while adding Jack and Luke to the fold alongside Quinn.