With the New Jersey Devils in the middle of their playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks President Jim Rutherford ignited a fire surrounding defenseman Quinn Hughes during his year end presser conference.
Rutherford was asked by Ian MacIntyre of Sportsnet about the future of the Canucks captain and how it would be a massive blow to the organization if he left. While Rutherford agreed it would be a massive blow, he stated Quinn wants to play with his brothers, whether in Vancouver or New Jersey, is yet to be seen.
TheDevilsNation.com Transcriptions
Everyone Needs To Pump The Brakes on Quinn Hughes to the Devils Talk
Reporter (Ian MacIntyre of Sportsnet: “I think the greatest fear for Canuck fans here is two years from now, Quinn Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent. How Cognizant are you with the moves that you’re going to be making this summer and within these next two years? Do you consult with Quinn? Do you let him know what the game plan is, and when do you start thinking about an extension for Quinn Hughes, because I think that’d be one loss with this franchise? I don’t know if you’d ever bounce back if he was to leave here.”
Jim Rutherford: “Totally agree, 100 percent. The one thing that we will be sure of that we will have enough cap space to offer him the kind of contract that he deserves, that’s the one thing we can prepare for. And it may not boil down to money with him. He said before he wants to play with his brothers, and that would be partly out of our control. In our control, if we brought his brothers here. So there’s many moving parts here.
Agree 100 percent. This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes and we will do everything we can to keep him here. But at the end of the day, it will be his decision. Well, we’ve got to be careful with tampering here. So we’ll just leave it at that. I probably cross the line, anyway.”
Luke Hughes Has Become the New Jersey Devils Number One Defenseman
If it was not already clear, the Canucks captain and star defenseman Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brothers Luke and Jack in the NHL. The feeling is mutual amongst the brothers. There was a chance for Jack and Quinn to play together for Team USA at the Four Nations Faceoff, but the eldest Hughes brother was injured and could not participate.
You could tell from interviews with Jack Hughes that he was bummed for his brother that he was not able to play Internationally for Team USA. Again the Canucks still have a year for this discussion to really happen and pickup. However, the fact that the team’s president came out and made these comments suggests it is a strong possibility.
It feels like all options are on the table when it comes to Quinn Hughes. However, if the Canucks are to go into a full on rebuild, Quinn Hughes will not be a part of it as Rutherford told the Globe and Mail back in January.
“If we were going to completely start over, that means he goes,” Rutherford told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday of Hughes, who is in his second season as Canucks captain. “And we’d like to figure out a way that he’s here forever.”
The rumors surrounding the Hughes brothers have been ignited ever since they were on the cover of EA Sports NHL 25. Even Rick Dhaliwal got into the mix when he stated that he spoke with people around the league and they believe Quinn Hughes will not re-sign with the Canucks in 2027.
Devils Jack and Luke Hughes Cover Boys for EA Sports NHL 25
We know that Quinn Hughes still has a couple of years left on his deal with the Canucks at a alary cap hit of $7.85 million a season. He is not eligible to negotiate or sign an extension until July 1, 2026. Quinn is the cornerstone of the Canucks defense after being drafted seventh overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.
Meanwhile, Devils defenseman Luke Hughes is a restricted free agent this summer. The Devils will look to lock him up to a long-term extension. Meanwhile, Jack Hughes is entering year four of an eight-year deal that ends during the 2029-30 season. His contract as an AAV of $8 million. Luke Hughes will get close to $8 million on his next deal, and if the Devils were to bring in Quinn Hughes via free agency he will get over $10 million as one of the league’s top defenseman.
Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes Have High Praise for Each Other
The more realistic option is that Quinn Hughes is traded to the Devils or signs via free agency. Devils President Tom Fitzgerald is not going to trade two cornerstone pieces to Vancouver and get nothing in return. If the Hughes brothers come together, it will be in New Jersey.
Quinn has done his best this season to deal with all the drama that has surrounded the Canucks. Quinn Hughes came back from injury early to try to help his team get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the Canucks came up short. Now that Rutherford has announced to the world that he wants to play with his brothers. Let the speculation ramp up when it comes to Quinn Hughes heading to the New Jersey Devils.
Before, it was just fodder, now, there is a chance it might happen.
