Vancouver Canucks reportedly denied Quinn Hughes the opportunity to reunite with his brothers in New Jersey

The Vancouver Canucks shocked the hockey world this evening by trading superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.

For weeks, reports had indicated that a trade involving Hughes was likely at some point this season but the Minnesota Wild were not mentioned as a possible destination.

Many analysts, insiders, and fans instead believed that Hughes would join his brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey.

Tonight, reports have confirmed that the Devils tried to acquire Quinn but were shot down by the Canucks and Jim Rutherford before the ultimate deal to Minnesota.

According to a report from Pierre LeBrun the New Jersey Devils made a strong competitive first offer for Quinn Hughes.

While the exact deal that the Devils offered is unknown it seems that they were in the conversations until the end but ultimately were unable to provide the best package to unite the brother trio.

Looking at the Devils' prospect system and current roster they likely could not have outbid the offer that the Wild made for Quinn but could have gotten close enough to make Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin debate where to send him before making a deal.

One has to wonder if the Canucks specifically held out and rejected the Devils trades in spite of Hughes' preferred destination or if it truly came down to the best offer overall.

In the coming days and weeks it will be fascinating to follow this story and see if the Devils' offer to the Canucks becomes public knowledge or remains behind closed doors.