The Canucks will probably not make Quinn Hughes available via trade. But in the off chance they do, the Devils need to be at the front of the line.
A few weeks ago when I did the RFA profile for Luke Hughes, I touched on his brother Quinn’s situation in Vancouver and why I think the situations are connected.
Things have seemingly quieted down in Vancouver since Jim Rutherford made his totally not tampering comments in regards to trying to bring Jack and Luke Hughes to Vancouver. The Canucks hired a defensive minded coach in Adam Foote to replace Rick Tocchet, their plans have seemingly shifted towards executing whatever their offseason plan is, and as far as we know, it would appear that those plans include Canucks captain Quinn Hughes being on their roster.
There is some uncertainty surrounding the Canucks as they head into a pivotal season. Obviously, Vancouver wants to win and get back to the playoffs after missing last season. But they have a couple key UFAs in Brock Boeser and Pius Suter slated to hit the open market next month. Longtime franchise goalie Thatcher Demko is entering the final season of his contract as fellow netminder Kevin Lankinen begins the first season of a five-year extension. And while center Elias Pettersson is signed long-term, the Canucks may or may not be having buyers remorse in regards to that deal. If they do and they opt to move him, the clock is ticking before his NMC kicks in with his new deal on July 1st.
Quinn Hughes has two years and $7.85M AAV remaining on his contract before he can opt to hit UFA himself, and while the Canucks have said they will do everything in their power to keep him, the worst kept secret in the league is that he might want to play with his brothers Jack and Luke Hughes. Quinn hasn’t exactly poured cold water on the idea publicly either, as it seems like every other week a new photo is popping up of him spending time with Jack and/or Luke on Instagram.
The Canucks appear to be heading into an offseason where their priority is to build a winning team, as is their prerogative. But they also know that this situation with their captain is going to come to a head at some point. They know they might have issues getting free agents to go to Vancouver if they don’t have clarity surrounding their best defenseman going forward. The Canucks aren’t allowed to sign Quinn to an extension until July 1st, 2026 at the earliest, but they’re not dumb. They can read the tea leaves and have a sense well before then whether or not Quinn has any intentions of staying in Vancouver long-term or if Quinn is eyeing UFA (presumably with the intention of joining his brothers in New Jersey).
All of this raises the question of how the Canucks should approach this situation in the short-term. Obviously, they have no long-term leverage when it comes to Quinn and his future. But they do have some short-term leverage should they decide to trade him. They could offer him up to the highest bidder and Quinn would certainly have plenty of value even knowing he’s probably hitting UFA in two years and he’s probably not staying wherever he’s going. Or they could simply keep him and try to build a winner around him, which is sounds like is the course they’ll probably take (at least for the 2025-26 season).
The ball is in Vancouver’s court for now. They don’t have to do anything with Quinn Hughes right now.
With that said, this is a Devils-centric blog. Not a Canucks-centric blog.
It’s easy to say “Well, if Quinn wants to play with his brothers so badly, just wait two years for him to hit free agency and sign him then. Why would you give up assets for him?”
First, lets take a moment to pause and laugh at the idea of New Jersey being a prime free agency destination. Especially when one considers the long history of Devils players who opted to leave New Jersey once they hit free agency.
Now that that’s out of the way….I get the reasoning behind that line of thinking, but I don’t agree with it.
If the Devils can acquire Quinn Hughes prior to him hitting UFA in 2027, its something they should strongly consider doing.
How Valuable is Quinn Hughes Right Now?
The short answer to that question is extremely valuable.
Quinn Hughes won the Norris Trophy last season as the league’s best defenseman. He is a finalist for the award again this season despite missing 14 games. He is a consistent PPG defenseman entering his age 26 season, and as we already mentioned, he’s signed for two more years at a very reasonable cap hit of $7.85M AAV.
It’s not empty calorie point production though that makes Quinn valuable. It’s the skating ability. It’s the sudden movements, quick cuts, edge work, and ability to stop on a dime that makes him special. It’s his playmaking ability. It’s his ability to move the puck. And on top of all that, he has developed into one of the best DEFENSIVE defensemen in the league on top of all of that. Luke has shown a lot of these traits in his first few seasons, which makes him a tantalizing prospect on his own, but Quinn is the more polished, closer to a finished product version of that.
I don’t think my words do it justice at all though. I’d recommend checking out this video from YouTuber Rob Talks Hockey in its entirety just to see how special Quinn actually is.
Players like this, at this age, are the type of players teams build around. Without extenuating circumstances, they just don’t get moved.
For example, PK Subban, age 26, was traded straight up for Shea Weber on the same day the Devils made the Taylor Hall trade. Subban was also traded two days before his NMC kicked in and during a time when the acquiring team was allowed to not honor said clause. Erik Karlsson, age 27, was traded from the Senators to the Sharks. But he was traded by a then-rebuilding Senators team with a year left on his deal. For the most part though, those types of players do not get moved via trade at that age unless there’s something going on to suggest a change of scenery might be needed. I would argue Quinn’s so-called desire to play with his brothers would qualify as such.
This is why I don’t buy the argument that Quinn would have no market via trade because everyone just assumes he’ll wind up on the Devils in two years. This is the type of player that every playoff contending team would and should be lining up for if he were made available. Especially with two years left. Especially signed at a fair rate of just under $8M AAV.
You don’t think there’s a playoff team out there that thinks they could use a little more speed? A little more puck-movement? A little more offensive creativity? A little more offense from the backend? A little more when it comes to shutting down the opposition? I can think of at least one team that played this postseason that could use all of those things.
The New Jersey Devils.
Why Waiting For Him To Hit UFA In Two Years Is a Bad Idea
The Devils have built a win-now roster with players who are either already in their primes or are about to enter them. I’m not saying all of these players will still be here, but their core forwards are all in their early to mid 20s and are signed for at least the next two years. Almost all of their blueline is signed as well for at least the next two years. Jacob Markstrom is only signed for one more year but he showed that he still has plenty left in the tank this past season.
But put the rest of the roster aside at the moment. Just consider the Devils core forwards of Jack Hughes, Jesper Bratt, and Nico Hischier.
The whole point of signing those players to the deals that the Devils signed them to when they did was to maximize their ability to add other talent to the roster around them. And while the Devils certainly have done that, with all due respect to the Brenden Dillons and Ondrej Palats of the world, adding a player like Quinn Hughes is on a whole other level.
Yes, the Devils will still have Jack and Bratt beyond 2027 (Hischier is a UFA), but why would you waste Jack’s age 24 & 25 seasons while you are waiting for Quinn? Why would you waste Bratt’s age 27 and 28 seasons? Why would you waste Hischier’s age 27 and 28 seasons, the last two you are guaranteed with him?
If you’re Tom Fitzgerald, you already did all of this work to build a win-now team built around your core pieces. If you have an opportunity to add a 25 year old Norris-caliber defenseman who would probably sign long-term with you seeing as both of his brothers are already on the team, why wouldn’t you explore that?
Isn’t the whole point of building a win-now team to try to, you know, win? And win now?
None of us has a crystal ball and can see into the future, but in terms of professional sports, two years from now may as well be an eternity. Things can change, both positively and negatively. The landscape of the Metropolitan has changed in the last two years. The landscape of the East may continue to change as teams that are contenders now either change their DNA (as Brad Treliving put it in Toronto) or teams age out of their contention windows.
One thing that typically doesn’t change though is this….the teams that have more talent than the other teams are usually the ones that win. I’m not saying you can win on talent alone….the Leafs are as good an example as any of that. But having the right high-end talent is a big part of that. Having a #1 defenseman who can move the puck, skate well, and soak up 25+ minutes a night playing against top competition is extremely valuable.
If you can get that type of player now, why wait?
How Can This All Work, Both Cap-Wise and Trade Compensation-Wise?
Here comes the complicated part….if the Devils were going to trade for Quinn, how does he fit, and what should they be willing to surrender in order to do so?
Answering the latter question first, I think there are very few untouchables for Quinn Hughes. Obviously, the Devils wouldn’t trade Jack or Luke for him, so put them aside. I would also consider Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt to be off-limits.
Anything else though, as far as I’m concerned, is up for discussion.
Dawson Mercer? Simon Nemec? Seamus Casey? Lenni Hameenaho? Dougie Hamilton? Timo Meier? Arseny Gritsyuk? Anton Silayev? The 2026 first round pick?
I’m not saying the Devils should trade all of those guys. My point is that once you get past your core guys, nothing should be off the table. I’m also saying that yes, it is worth giving up your favorite magic bean(s) or lottery ticket to acquire a 25 year old Norris-caliber #1 defenseman with two years to go on a team-friendly deal, even if said defenseman may sign with you as a UFA in two years anyways. It’s worth bringing in that type of player now to support the rest of your core while they’re at their peaks (or approaching said peaks).
The issue with all of this is the salary cap and its tough to see an avenue towards fitting Quinn in right now. I also think the Devils have to operate over the next month under the assumption that the Canucks are not trading Quinn yet, so any improvements made to the Devils roster need to be made regardless and you worry about fitting Quinn in down the road if that opportunity presents itself.
I will say that I don’t see how the Devils can fit Dougie Hamilton’s $9M AAV on a blueline with both Luke (once he signs whatever his next deal is) and Quinn at $7.85M. But I also question Dougie’s fit on the Devils in general moving forward. I plan to write next week that the Devils should consider trading Dougie Hamilton. I think they should do that regardless of how this situation plays out. I’m not saying the Canucks will want him, or that Dougie would be willing to waive his M-NTC to go to Vancouver, but I do see that $9M AAV as a roadblock that will need to be cleared to do other things.
I would guess that a Quinn Hughes trade probably directly costs the Devils their 2026 1st, a 2nd round pick, Nemec, and Mercer. I would also guess that it would indirectly cost them Hamilton as well for the money to work. As much as I like Nemec as a prospect, I think that’s a relatively low cost to pay for what you’re getting back.
I also think there are other teams around the league that could top that offer with little trouble.
Why This Entire Situation Is Probably a Moot Point
At the end of the day, the Vancouver Canucks don’t have to do anything. Not yet, anyways.
Yes, there are problems with that line of thinking if they ultimately come to the conclusion that sticking their head in the sand and pretending this problem on their hands eventually goes away is a good idea. But the Canucks are also entitled to run their team how they see fit.
If I were running the Vancouver Canucks, and I knew that this situation was eventually going to come to a head, and I knew that I was probably ultimately going to lose a player like Quinn Hughes regardless of what I did, I would see the writing on the wall and trade him with two years to go to whatever team put together the best package. I don’t care if that’s New Jersey, Toronto, Florida, Seattle, Utah, or any of the other 25 or so teams in the league I didn’t name.
But I’m not Jim Rutherford or Patrik Allvin. I don’t have to answer to Francesco Aquilini, who is the chairman and owner of the Canucks. I don’t have to answer to a fanbase that would understandably be annoyed at the idea of trading one of the best defensemen in the league in his prime. Frankly, if I’m the Canucks, I’m trying to win this upcoming season. The Canucks aren’t that far removed from being a playoff team themselves. They have some good pieces already in place, cap space with which to work, and draft picks they could trade. Trading Quinn would run counterproductive to that goal of winning.
Vancouver does not have to trade Quinn Hughes right now. And while an argument could certainly be crafted that they’d be better off doing so, they don’t have to and they seem to be operating as if they’re not planning to.
I would expect this situation to come to a head a year from now when the Canucks are allowed to offer Quinn Hughes a contract extension. I wouldn’t even rule out the possibility of him signing it. If he’s happy where he is, and the Canucks are going to offer him top of the market type of money, he’d be smart to consider taking it. But the clock will be ticking once Quinn is less than a year away from UFA, and if there is any truth to the idea that the three Hughes brothers want to indeed play together, that would also be the time for Quinn’s camp to tell the Canucks “thanks, but no thanks” and trying to force the issue then.
Final Thoughts
Quinn Hughes will probably not be made available by the Canucks this offseason, but if he is, he is a player that the Devils should be bullying their way to the front of the line to try to acquire.
And no, its not because of his last name or the fact that his brothers are already on the team, although that certainly helps.
It’s because Quinn is an elite-level talent who is just entering his prime of what he’s going to be as a defenseman. It’s because he’s a game-breaking player signed for two more years at a team-friendly rate. It’s because he brings elements to the table that are difficult to find between his speed, his playmaking ability, and his elite defensive play. It’s because he fits the core that the Devils already have in place as they try to take those next steps from “playoff team” to “Cup contender”.
The Canucks are entitled to run their franchise how they see fit. They don’t have to trade Quinn right now, and they certainly don’t have to trade him to the Devils if another team makes a better offer. They’re allowed to be stubborn about it if that is what they choose to do. I think they would be better off seeing where this is going, knowing they probably aren’t going to be able to keep him, and take the best offer they can get now. That price will only decrease the closer we get to UFA in 2027. If they want to hold on for another year only for Quinn to say I’m not signing here so they can turn around and tell their fanbase they tried, that’s on them.
That said, I think everyone sees how this Quinn saga in Vancouver likely ends. Rather than wait two years, it makes sense for everyone involved to rip the band-aid off and make the deal now.