1. The team trades Quinn Hughes
And for my boldest prediction of all, the Canucks trade Quinn Hughes to the New Jersey Devils at this year’s draft. Lower your pitchforks, I hope this one doesn’t happen, either. That being said, if the Devils make an (in the words of Vito Corleone) offer that the Canucks can’t refuse, then the Canucks may have to consider it.
Believe it or not, the Canucks, and fans of the team, aren’t the only ones who have dreams of seeing the Hughes brothers play together on their team. Quinn is a dynamic skater and looks to have all the tools to be an elite defenceman. In the few games he played, he gave new life to the Canucks second power play unit, which was awful throughout the entire season.
He played outstanding in three on three overtime and both Boeser and Pettersson — the two players he was on the ice with in the extra frame — are thrilled to have a player like him on their team. Now hold on a minute. Quinn may be great and all, but his brother Jack Hughes is something else.
If someone tries to point to a flaw in Hughes’ game, they would have to look extremely hard to find one. Jack is a complete player, and it’s no wonder that he has been the consensus first overall pick for the majority of this season. Although Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko has slipped into the consideration to be selected first overall, as of late, it will most likely be New Jersey who calls Hughes’ name on draft day.
While Benning is likely trying to get a feel of what it would take to trade up for the first overall pick, Devils general manager Ray Shero could also be interested in uniting the Hughes brothers. What are your boldest predictions for the Canucks offseason? Let me know in the comments section below!