NHL Analyst Hints at Quinn Hughes Reunion With Brothers in New Jersey

When the conversation moved to how Luke will approach the negotiations, Johnson made clear what the defenseman might have in mind.

In Johnson's eyes, there is a good case to be made for Luke to bet on himself by signing a short-term deal while waiting for Quinn to join him, along with brother Jack, already a member of the Devils, and then re-negotiate a deal for a larger amount of money.

“If you're Luke, you say 'I'll take four (years) and I'll take $28 (million),' and then you're back to it," Johnson said. "Your brother (Jack) is going to be on the team, too… Very likely, the other brother, Quinn, is two years away (from becoming a free agent)—he might be coming as well."

While not the main point of the conversation, Quinn Hughes' name inevitably got brought up in it. Johnson's comment, however, is not just idle speculation on his part.

At the Canucks’ end-of-season press conference, president Jim Rutherford made painfully candid remarks about the captain’s future.

“This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes,” Rutherford said. “We will do everything we can to keep him here, but at the end of the day, it’ll be his decision.”

Rutherford also touched on the idea of family influence impacting Hughes' decision when times come to sign a new contract with the Canucks or leave as a free agent.

“(Quinn) said before, he wants to play with his brothers,” Rutherford said.

Hughes, 25, is signed through the 2026–27 season with a $7.85 million annual cap hit. The Canucks inked Hughes to a six-year, $47.1 million contract in Oct. 2021, and he's coming off a 76-point, 60-assist season appearing in just 68 regular-season games last year.