We don't need Eichel

Jack Hughes is fine as 1C

Is he though? I know he's still young and needs to bulk up, but I think there are still question marks around him.

Personally, if I were a Devil's fan I'd be fine with a 1-for-1 swap of Hughes for Eichel. While the money doesn't work, I think the trade makes sense. It accelerates the Devil's rebuild by light years whereas Buffalo has time to develop Hughes and the other young players around him.

The only issue with Eichel as I see it are the question marks on the player he'll be from this injury.

Yeah, I think he'll be fine, and you're likely better off taking small steps to build, as opposed to one giant leap that likely doesn't put you over the top. I also don't think you get Eichel with that package. I don't see a way it could possibly be done without including Holtz/Mercer as a starter, though I think they'd probably be asking for Hughes or Smith (Which you also shouldn't do).

Devils shouldn't'/wouldn't trade Eichel for Hughes one for one due to injury concerns and speeding up the rebuild. Devils don't need to speed up the rebuild. Last time we did it (2019), it backfired on us.

And Im confident Hughes will be a 1C

Definitely not fair.

Not enough for Leddy. He got his value back after this season. He may go in Expansion, but that's only because we'll protect Mayfield over him and we can lose his cap hit.

I'm definitely pulling for Hughes. I'm a big fan of his brother and would like to see him succeed, too. While other smaller players have made it, he just looks like a child out there and is easily knocked off the puck. If he can get stronger it shouldn't be an issue. When he flashes his skill you can see it's there.

1.) that deal does not get you Eichel 2.) BUF wouldnt do Hughes for Eichel straight up either

Idk, I think I'm taking this if we're getting $5.5 million back in cap. There are defensemen we could get in a trade or free agency better than him for cheaper than that

I get that NJD won't move hughes, but they would definetly need to move Smith or Holtz+ to make it happen. Not enough in the current package imo and adding another mid level piece doesn't help. Quality>Quantity

He's actually gained a lot of muscle since last offseason. He's been getting stronger, but could use more strength to help him stay on the puck more

Devils wouldn't either

He needs the lower body strength. It needs to build a big ass like Sid lol