Seemingly with every day that goes by, the Vancouver Canucks and Jim Rutherford pour more gasoline on the fire that is Quinn Hughes potentially leaving the club in 2027.
This time, Rutherford, the Canucks' president of hockey operations, claims Vancouver controls Hughes for less time than they actually have.
"We control him for a year and two-thirds," Rutherford said in an appearance on the 100% Hockey Podcast. "Because, if we get to that trade deadline two years from now and it looks like he doesn't want to stay, then we would have to do something."
Rutherford has jumped at every opportunity to downplay Hughes's future with the Canucks, so it's truly no surprise that Canucks fans continue to meltdown online, forcing the organization to indirectly address a potential sale and change in ownership.
Hughes, 25, has two years remaining on his contract at a $7.85 million cap hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2027 offseason.
It is from there that Hughes can elect to test free agency and, presumably, sign with the New Jersey Devils to join forces with younger brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes.
Rutherford and the Canucks are already very well aware of this possibility and foolishly directly addressed it in a public forum, which started the fire we find in front of ourselves today.
Rutherford's comments suggest that Hughes either isn't currently happy in Vancouver or may not be happy in Vancouver by the time the 2027 trade deadline rolls around. The fact that this is even a consideration is a major problem for the Canucks, and one they may not be able to fix or even salvage.