It’s a question that many Vancouver Canucks fans have started to wonder about: Will Quinn Hughes sign long term when he’s eligible for an extension next offseason? Jim Rutherford has a pretty outside-the-box idea on how to pull that off.
When answering a question about keeping the eldest Hughes brother in Vancouver long-term, the Canucks’ president of hockey operations said:
“The one thing that we will be sure of is 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’s 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. [I] agree 100% 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’ll be it’ll be his decision.”
When asked a follow up, if he’d seriously consider trading for the Hughes brothers, Rutherford said:
“Well, we got to be careful with tampering here, so we’ll just leave it at that. I probably crossed the line anyways.”
Here is the clip:
“He (Quinn Hughes) has said before he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control. In our control if we brought his brothers here.” – Jim Rutherford
: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/P2P0C0xjMd
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 21, 2025
Hughes will become eligible to sign a contract extension in July 2026, when he enters the final year of his current contract in Vancouver. When asked about his future on Friday, Hughes took the focus off of himself and said that everyone just wants to be part of a winning team.
“I think that everyone that’s here just wants to be a part of a winning team,” said Hughes. “I don’t think anyone’s too concerned about making me happy, just about being a successful organization. And I think that’s the main goal for everyone here. And definitely feel like we can do that.”
Jack Hughes is heading into year four of an eight-year deal with the Devils that sees him paid $8 million per season, while Luke is in need of a contract this summer after coming off of his entry-level contract. He is not offer sheet eligible.
Keep it locked on CanucksArmy all day for more news and reaction from management’s end of season media availability.
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On Saturday night, Kelsey Plum was part of Team Collier's 151-131 win over Team Clark in the WNBA All-Star Game, scoring 16 points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out three assists. Following the game, the Los Angeles Sparks star was asked about WNBA All-Stars wearing shirts before the game that read, "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Specifically, Plum was asked about how that idea came together. "The T-shirt — just a united front," she said. "That was determined this morning, that we had a meeting for. Not to tattletale, but zero members of Team Clark were very present for that." Plum said it with a chuckle. However, she was sitting next to New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu, who rolled her eyes and said, "Didn't really need to be mentioned" before laughing. It was awkward, especially because Caitlin Clark, as well as all of the members of Team Clark, wore the shirts. If Clark didn't wear the shirt, you could understand some backlash. But she did. It should also be noted that Team Collier featured the president of the WNBA Players Association, Nneka Ogwumike, as well as the first vice president, Plum, and two vice presidents, Napheesa Collier and Brenna Stewart. It makes sense if they took on greater leadership roles in a statement like this against the league. Whether Plum likes it or not, the reason the WNBA has any sort of leverage heading into these negotiations with the league is Clark. She would do well to remember that the next time she wants to take an unnecessary shot at Clark, who is responsible for the greatest surge in fan attention the WNBA has ever seen.
The Pittsburgh Steelers brought plenty of excitement to their fan base when the decision was made to trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. The prospect of having the former Seattle Seahawks pass-catcher and George Pickens in the same offense was exhilarating. Unfortunately, the anticipation for the 2025 regular season was quickly shut down when Pickens was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in May. It now seems as if both the Steelers and the former second-round pick were ready to part ways, especially because the wideout is enjoying his time in the Lone Star State. As training camp begins to ramp up for the 32 NFL teams, a lot of eyes will be on Pickens in Dallas and how he handles his fresh start. He constantly made negative headlines in the Steel City, whether it be questionable comments to the media or inexcusable actions on the field. He has a chance to have a phenomenal year with the Cowboys, but many wonder if he is mature enough to handle the spotlight. Dallas has already started training camp, which means players and coaches alike are available to the media on certain days. Pickens spoke on Tuesday, and he was not subtle about his excitement for the Cowboys' potential on offense. In the process, he made a very direct comment that was clearly an indictment on how things are done in the Steelers' building, according to Joseph Hoyt of Dallas News. Pickens did not mince words, nor did he shy away from the fact that he believes that the Cowboys have better plays than the Steelers. The wide receiver had to deal with Matt Canada for nearly two full seasons, but Arthur Smith apparently did not impress him in 2024, either. Pickens has often been quoted refusing to accept blame for things, so it's not surprise that he is now trying to throw some serious shade at the Steelers' offensive approach. No one can argue that Canada had a good run as the Steelers' play-caller, but Pickens seemed to have a strong season in 2024 prior to suffering a hamstring injury later in the campaign. He has been very adamant about his excitement when it comes to playing for the Cowboys, but also has made it clear that he is happy to no longer be playing in Pittsburgh. Fans in the Steel City will likely never get to see Pickens at his very best while wearing the black and gold, but it appears as if the pass-catcher is very confident that he will have a stout season in the Southwest. There was recently a coaching regime change for the Cowboys, so that could be beneficial for Pickens, or potentially a bad thing depending on how things play out. Pickens has never had a certifiable stud on the opposite side of him, and he will get that with CeeDee Lamb in 2025. It's quite possible that Pickens has a breakout year, but it's evident that he still can't keep certain comments to himself. It won't be long before he is stirring up negative headlines in Dallas if something goes wrong early in the season. Steelers Are Confident That Metcalf Can Shine If both Pickens and Metcalf have successful seasons, not many will worry too much about the separate moves that Pittsburgh made during the 2025 offseason. Metcalf is a little more experienced, and should come with something to prove. If he struggles mightily for some reason, however, it might just prove that Pickens was right to rip into the Steelers' offensive playbook.
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