Quinn Hughes Could Issue Ultimatum to Canucks Management This Offseason

The time could come this summer when Quinn Hughes gives Canucks management an ultimatum: either get competitive quick, or trade their captain.

Quinn Hughes was the solitary silver lining on what was otherwise a disappointing Vancouver Canucks campaign that saw them not even make the playoffs and lose head coach Rick Tocchet.

Even on his personal success, questions regarding Hughes' future in Vancouver are increasingly on the cards.

The Canucks captain is 24 and is a contract holder until the end of the 2026-27 season on a six-year, $47 million deal. Once this expires, he'll be an unrestricted free agent, and the Canucks are piling mounting pressure to keep him long term.

It's no secret that Hughes is very interested in playing with his brothers

What makes it complicated is that Hughes has long dreamed of one day playing with his brothers, Jack and Luke, who both skate for the New Jersey Devils.

That affinity keeps the trade rumors simmering, especially as the Canucks are struggling to establish themselves as contenders.

Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman offered some insight on the subject in a recent turn on Sportsnet 650 as well as Sportsnet 590, pointing out that last year, when Vancouver made the second round of the playoffs and took Edmonton to seven games, trade rumors regarding Hughes were nonexistent.

But with a season of missteps, including J.T. Miller's departure, missing the playoffs, and a coaching change, the buzz returned.

'Last year when they went to the second round of the playoffs and took Edmonton to seven games, nobody was talking about any of this stuff. Nobody. And this year, they have a nightmare year. They trade Miller, they miss the playoffs, their coach leaves. Now this comes out,' Friedman said.

Friedman opined that if things were going well for the Canucks, Hughes would be more likely to stay. But as things trend poorly for the team, doubts about whether he'll sign long-term grow more valid, and he may give the team an ultimatum.

'I don't want to be somewhere where I'm not gonna win'.

- Elliotte Friedman on what Quinn Hughes could possibly say