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Vancouver Canucks Hit With Brutal Quinn Hughes News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 7:17 AM ET

Few would argue the Vancouver Canucks are heading into one of the more crucial offseasons in franchise history.

One season after winning the Pacific Division, the Canucks parted ways with former Jack Adams winner Rick Tocchet and replaced him with first-year head coach Adam Foote.

And now the biggest issue the Canucks must resolve involves 25-year-old superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes.

General manager Jim Rutherford worried his fan base with what he told reporters at his end-of-season media availability last month about Hughes’ future with the team.

“He said before he wants to play with his brothers,” Rutherford said. “Well, we got to be careful with tampering here, so we’ll just leave it at that.”

Rutherford’s comments made it seem like Hughes was all but out the door when his contract expires in two years.

Both of his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, play for the New Jersey Devils, and many expect Quinn to bolt there once he hits free agency, which is exactly what Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman believes as well.

“I would say to me the bigger thing about that was, that was Jim Rutherford warning his fan base that it’s possible Quinn Hughes might not be a lifelong Canuck,” Friedman said. “That’s what that told me.”

And while the Canucks have been working feverishly to present Hughes with a contract offer that keeps him in Vancouver for the foreseeable future, Friedman also gave a not-to-promising update on where things stand in those negotiations.

“Canucks are ‘absolutely’ on the clock when it comes to Quinn Hughes,” Friedman said in a recent interview with Sportsnet 590. “Hughes is going to start saying ‘I don't want to be somewhere where I'm not going to win’ at some point.”

Elliotte Friedman: Canucks are "absolutely" on the clock when it comes to Quinn Hughes; Hughes is going to start saying "I don't want to be somewhere where I'm not gonna win" at some point - SN 590
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) June 5, 2025

Hughes, who’s currently the 27th-highest paid defenseman in the NHL ($7.85 million per year), is going to be due a significant pay raise.

Some expect the Norris Trophy-winning defender to cash-in on a deal in the neighborhood of Drew Doughty’s $11 million-per-year salary, if not more.

Losing a player of Hughes’ caliber would be a devastating blow to a Canucks blue line that lacks scoring punch and the kind of two-way play Hughes brings.

The Michigan Wolverines alum has scored 68 or more points in each of his last four seasons, including a career-high 17 goals and 92 points two seasons ago.

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

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