The Devils made what they believed to be a “really solid offer” for superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Hughes was dealt to the Minnesota Wild in a stunning Friday night blockbuster trade.

In the end, though, general manager Tom Fitzgerald’s biggest flaw doomed their pursuit.

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Discussing the details of the trade on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Devils couldn’t clear the cap space needed for a potential Hughes deal due to “clauses that were honestly and fairly negotiated that prevented them from doing what they needed to do to open up spots.”

In other words: the number of no-movement/no-trade clauses Fitzgerald has given out over the years hampered his efforts to pull off a deal for a generational defenseman (who just so happens to be brothers with two players on the Devils).

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If you dish out too many clauses — especially to guys who don’t exactly need them (Ondrej Palat?) — you’ll be limited in the deals you can pull off. Just how loosely has Fitzgerald handed out these clauses? He’s the worst offender in the league.

NJ Advance Media looked at each team’s PuckPedia page to gauge how many Devils players have no-trade/no-movement clauses on their current/pending contracts vs. the other 31 teams.

The Devils have a staggering 15 players that fit this criteria, which is tied with the Carolina Hurricanes and Edmonton Oilers for the most in the NHL. Having 15 players with these clauses is about four more players than the league average of 11.25.

Fitzgerald can’t use this as an excuse when trying to pull off a backup-plan trade, which he needs to do soon as they cling to a playoff spot. Other GMs surely don’t. The Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal for Mikko Rantanen last season (before flipping him to the Dallas Stars for Logan Stankoven and picks). The Oilers made a splashy goalie trade for Tristan Jarry on Friday.

Bottom line: These other GMs seem to strike deals with similar limitations as the Devils, and Fitzgerald needs to find a way, too.