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NHL Analyst Pours Cold Water on Speculation About Canucks' Quinn Hughes

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 9:30 AM ET

Rumors about Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes eventually joining his brothers with the New Jersey Devils continue to pop up this offseason.

NHL analyst Adnan Virk, the host of "Monday Night Hockey" on Amazon Prime, believes it’s too early to draw conclusions about the Canucks captain’s future, with Hughes still under contract for two more seasons.

Virk appeared on the "Sekeres and Price" podcast on Sunday and offered his view of the situation, calling for patience and urging Canucks fans to keep calm regarding Hughes' future in Vancouver.

"It was so much fun when Hughes came (to New Jersey)," Virk said. "We had that Canucks-Devils game, he’s on every single play, every single thing happening."

Host of Monday Night Hockey on Amazon @adnansvirk, disagrees with Ken Daneyko about Quinn Hughes going to the @NJDevils. #njdevils #canucks @mattsekeres | @justBlakePrice

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— Sekeres and Price (@sekeresandprice) July 26, 2025

Virk pointed to comments from former defenseman and Devils broadcaster Ken Daneyko as a catalyst to renew the speculation around Hughes' future.

"Ken Daneyko, 'Mr. Devil,' he was like, ‘Oh, it’s only a matter of time till he comes to Jersey,’" Virk said. "I’m like, ‘Ah, not so fast.’ We'll see. I'm sure he knows how much he's appreciated and embraced in that Vancouver market."

Hughes, 25, is under contract with Vancouver through 2026-27 at a $7.85 million annual cap hit. He led the Canucks last season with 76 points, though overall the team regressed from the year prior, failing to make the postseason.

At the end-of-season media availability, Canucks president Jim Rutherford added to the speculation by acknowledging that family ties might play a huge role in Hughes' future in or out of Vancouver.

“It may not boil down to money with him,” Rutherford said. “He 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.”

Even then, Virk sees potential for Quinn Hughes to stay in Vancouver.

"Is there an appeal to playing with your brother? Of course," Virk said. "But if Quinn Hughes (builds) a winner there in Vancouver, (he) will be more apt to stay there long-term."

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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