Quinn Hughes is eligible for a contract extension next summer, but that extension may not come with his current team, the Vancouver Canucks.
On a recent episode of Sportsnet’s Canucks Talk, insider Rick Dhaliwal explained his belief that the Canucks may try to deal Hughes as soon as this season if they’re confident he does not want to sign long-term with the club. The Canucks have lost three games in a row and are just 9-12-2 to begin the season after missing the playoffs last year.
“I do believe that they internally do think that it’s better to move him this year if — capital letters ‘IF’ — he doesn’t want to commit to the franchise long term,” Dhaliwal said.
Hughes, the Canucks captain, has seen his name pop up more often in trade rumors after his brother, New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, expressed his desire for them to play together at some point during their NHL careers. Jack is already teammates with the third Hughes brother in the NHL, Luke Hughes, one of New Jersey’s top defensemen.
More fuel was added to the fire when the Canucks president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, was asked to comment on Quinn’s future last April. Rutherford’s comments didn’t exactly inspire confidence that the team would be able to retain their superstar defender.
“It may not boil down to money with him,” Rutherford said. “He’s said before he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control. In our control would be if we brought his brothers here.”
While Quinn’s current contract with the Canucks is set to expire in 2027, Jack is locked in with the Devils through 2030. Their younger brother, Luke, also just signed a seven-year extension to remain with New Jersey through the 2031-32 campaign, making Rutherford’s idea of bringing the latter two to Vancouver likely far-fetched.
Hughes is the lone Canucks player to score at above a point-per-game rate this season, recording 21 points (2g, 19a) in 18 games. The left-handed blueliner has suggested his future in Vancouver depends on how well the Canucks play this season, and the team has just two regulation wins in their last 17 games.
The Devils will likely be the frontrunners if the Canucks do indeed put Hughes on the market this season, but they would need to clear cap space to fit his $7.85 million cap hit. Other potential suitors, like the Carolina Hurricanes, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks, could do so tomorrow without any corresponding moves if they wanted to.