NHL Rumors: Could Quinn Hughes Be on the Move?

This is not the ideal time for the New Jersey Devils to be linked in NHL Rumors. New Jersey is preparing for Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, looking to adjust and even the series at 1-1 as they head back to the Prudential Center.

The last thing the players or management will want to do is answer questions about Quinn Hughes and a potential reunion with his brothers Luke and Jack in New Jersey. While it may not be right away, soon enough those questions will be coming after what Vancouver Canucks President Jim Rutherford told the media on Monday.

When asked by Ian MacIntyre of Sportsnet about the future of Quinn Hughes with the Canucks, Rutherford added fuel to the fire by saying it would be a massive blow to the organization if he left, but he wanted to go play with his brothers.

“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,” Rutherford told the press. “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 are many moving parts here.”

It’s one of those things that everyone who follows hockey knows, but won’t say out loud. It is the big What If. However, Rutherford said the What If out loud to the media. There was already speculation that Quinn Hughes was leaving Vancouver when he spoke to the Globe and Mail several months back.

“If we were going to completely start over, that means he goes,” Rutherford told The Globe and Mail back in January about Hughes, who is in his second season as Canucks captain. “And we’d like to figure out a way that he’s here forever.”

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But the fire was ignited even more thanks to Monday’s comments. However, Quinn Hughes takes pride in being the captain of the Vancouver Canucks. But it was a tough season for the Canucks captain deailing with injuries and drama in the locker room with Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. However, the Canucks need to figure out a way to keep their captain.

 Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali got into the mix back in January 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.

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. Not to mention, Hughes is still the captain of the Vancouver Canucks. 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.

He willed that team down the stretch, but the Canucks efforts came up short. The Canucks will want to keep him with Brock Boeser hitting the market and Elias Pettersson potentially on the move as well.

And this is not the first time there has been rumors in the NHL involving the Hughes Brothers. Ever since they entered the league and were featured on the Cover of EA Sports NHL 25, there has been talk of them playing together. Plus, there was a shot at the Four Nations that Jack and Quinn were going to play together. However, that did not happen.

Though more of Quinn joining Jack and Luke in New Jersey, not the other way around. As Rutherford noted, he has to be careful not to tamper, given that Luke Hughes is an RFA at the end of the season.

The Devils will look to extend Luke on July 1st and sign him to a long-term extension similar to Jack Hughes. Though his deal was done already. Luke Hughes will probably get somewhere in the $8 million range on an AAV. Jack Hughes is entering year four of an eight-year deal that ends during the 2029-30 season.  If the Devils were to bring in Quinn Hughes via free agency, he would get over $10 million as one of the league’s top defensemen.

And if the Devils wanted to acquire him from the Canucks, they have the assets on defense to do so with Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey. Not to mention, a player like Dawson Mercer could be a part of that package. But that is a long way down the road. But the most likely scenario would be Quinn Hughes coming to New Jersey.

Adding a piece like that to the Devils blueline would be a game changer. Before, it was a fantasy, but thanks to Jim Rutherford, there is a chance the Hughes Brothers could be reunited with the New Jersey Devils down the road.