Pretty sure NJ declines but that's probably what it would take

I think the Devils would be making a mistake by selling low on Hughes but it's fair value

I would love Laine in NJ but I think the whole idea of acquiring him would be to have an elite shooter for Hughes to play with. Devils can't do this deal.

Hughes proven 0 at the NHL level
NSH says no
Cringe at a potential Draisaitl-Mcdavid-Laine line but jets say no
No on the Carolina trade, doesn’t fit needs
No to ANA as well, not enough

None of the trades would work for Winnipeg. The Nashville one is the closest value wise, but would be a lateral move at best and with Forsberg being only 2 years from UFA, would be a no from Winnipeg.

I would imagine WPG wants a top 6 center and a top 4 defenseman for Laine. Getting both those players would get WPG lower quality in each. Getting one that's better in one position means having to take a lower quality player in the other. If WPG can't get both they will have to take one or the other they will a prospect in the other position plus a pick. Laine wants out, teams know that. I would imagine the reason a trade hasn't gone down is because teams won't offer what WPG wants. Plus there are still a few UFAs on the market that teams could pick up instead of paying for Laine. Obviously Laine is a long term option seeing that he's young and is a proven goal scorer. I can see a bidding war for Laine happening once WPG lowers their asking price. Which would in turn maximize the value in the return. Most teams would need a significant amount of cap coming out because Laine is asking around 10 mil on his next contract. I'm an Oilers fan so I'll give an idea how that trade would looks me workout for each team. Today the Oilers can not make that trade. Klefbom is probably out for the season. So they can't afford to lose a top D man. If the trade were to happen. It would have to be Nuge + a D prospect not named Broberg or Bouchard + a top round pick (1st-3rd) depending on what someone else offers. I could see Jones being a possible option but he would need to prove he can play top 4 minutes on the regular which won't happen until after this season. Which then Klefbom would be back so the Oilers could lose Jones without creating a hole on D. Problem is the Oilers like Nuge, Nuge likes the Oilers and will probably sign slightly under market value. Would Laine do the same? Jones is also cheap for the next few years and if he can hold his own in the top 4 until his contract expires that some serious money saving right there. In order to give Laine what he wants $$ WPG would have to take a contract as well, Neal is obviously to much, so my guess is Kassian. This would probably get WPG a higher pick in the trade as well. Would WPG be willing to do that? Probably not. Could WPG get a better package then Nuge + Jones + Kassian + a second? Probably. IMO.