The Vancouver Canucks confirmed they are fighting a losing battle with the New Jersey Devils over the future of captain Quinn Hughes.
In his end of season press conference alongside GM Patrik Allvin, Canucks president Jim Rutherford not only admitted that Hughes, 25, wants to play with his brothers, but that he knows the Canucks can only do much to avoid the inevitable.
To stay in or leave Vancouver ultimately comes down to Quinn and Quinn alone.
"It may not boil down to money for him," Rutherford said of Hughes Monday. "He's stated before he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control... in our control if we brought his brothers here."
Canucks president Jim Rutherford spoke on re-signing Quinn Hughes and dropped a BOMBSHELL 💣😳 pic.twitter.com/pjtUc3QMx7
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 21, 2025
The problem, for Rutherford, is that Jack Hughes is anchored down in New Jersey until 2030. There is no chance that Luke Hughes, a pending restricted free agent, doesn't receive the riches of Solomon from the Devils this summer.
So if the Canucks want to acquire Jack and/or Luke from the Devils, they will have to move heaven and earth for both players - not just one. And for Quinn, that might not play. The Devils hold all the cards, and Rutherford and the Canucks know it.
Another issue that may present itself with time is that Quinn, an unrestricted free agent in 2027, can walk and join the Devils without the Canucks receiving anything.
The Devils are currently a Stanley Cup contender, having made the playoffs twice in the last three seasons. It may benefit the Devils to acquire Hughes as soon as possible, as painful as it may be for the Canucks.
And the longer the Canucks wait and hold out on this burgeoning issue, the less the Devils will be willing to part ways with in a potential trade. Because, at the end of the day, they can bide their time and pay zero in two years.
The above trade is about as much as the Canucks can hope to get from the Devils in a potential Quinn Hughes trade.
By the time the Canucks' roster is good enough to compete again, Anton Silayev will be ready to make the jump to the NHL and begin playing regularly. The same is true of Simon Nemec, who has taken a major step back following a coaching change that came after an impressive rookie season in 2023-24.
Silayev will be surplus to the Devils' requirements after landing Quinn and extending Luke, and with Brett Pesce, Dougie Hamilton, and Johnathan Kovacevic all signed long-term, the Devils don't have room for Nemec and Seamus Casey.
By swapping Nils Hoglander with Dawson Mercer, the Canucks get a forward who has been a more consistent NHL producer and one who contributes on the power play and penalty kill. The hope is that Mercer can return to the 50-point form he showed in 2022-23 and become a long-term running mate for Elias Pettersson.
The 2027 first-round pick, of course, is self-explanatory and could be used to acquire a young center or another asset the Canucks feel they need to add.
Whatever they do, the Canucks cannot risk losing Quinn Hughes for free. They must strike a trade with the Devils while the iron is (very) hot.