When asked if he will be extending Quinn Hughes to an extension after next season, Jim Rutherford implied that the only avenue to making that happen is to acquire Jack and Luke.
In a surprising turn to today’s hockey news, New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes and defenseman Luke Hughes were directly referred to by Jim Rutherford, the President of Hockey Operations for the Vancouver Canucks, in a press conference during the team’s yearly breakup media availability. When asked about the possibility of signing Quinn Hughes to a contract extension (something the team is not even allowed to negotiate until July 1, 2026), Rutherford responded that the issue in keeping him may not be money, but his desire to play with his younger brothers. You can view the clip below.
“He (Quinn Hughes) has said 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.” – Jim Rutherford
: Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/P2P0C0xjMd
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 21, 2025
While some may consider this a welcome distraction to the loss yesterday, I find the comments made by Jim Rutherford today to be rather annoying. This is not an aside from a player, or a fan’s mock trade, but an NHL team executive’s comment on acquiring players under contract to another team. If you may recall, the NHL put out reminders to GMs earlier this season after Tyler Bertuzzi said that Nick Foligno informed him of Chicago’s interest in signing him to a contract before free agency began. Daly also fined former Canucks GM Jim Benning in 2016 when he made comments about attempting to acquire P.K. Subban and Steven Stamkos.
From @FriedgeHNIC on HNIC: Possible penalties for breaking NHL tampering regulations.
Dep. Commissioner Bill Daly reminded GMs of these penalties, saying he was “uncomfortable” with reports about teams agreeing to contracts with FAs before free agency officially opened. pic.twitter.com/j940hQdrMd
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) December 1, 2024
Do these comments rise to the level of losing draft picks or concessions being made to the New Jersey Devils? I would say no, but only because of the fact that Luke Hughes is not eligible for an offer sheet as a 10.2.c Restricted Free Agent. Had Luke Hughes played just a handful more games in the 2022-23 season, he would be treated as if he had three years of experience, making him eligible for an offer sheet. For that matter, the Canucks are technically ineligible for offer sheets below $11.453 million, as they do not own their third round pick in 2026. And they will be dealing with the same situation a year from now, as they do not own their second round pick in 2027.
I believe a fine from the league would be sufficient for the situation, as Vancouver does not have the means or ability to acquire Luke Hughes, and the Devils have Jack Hughes signed until 2030. A fine would also be in line with the previous one the Canucks received in 2016 for Benning’s comments on Subban and Stamkos. I am also not sure if a fine would even require the Devils filing a complaint with the league.
What the Devils can do in the offseason is play the game Jim Rutherford has laid out for them. They can make a trade offer for Quinn Hughes under the premise that the Vancouver Canucks have the best chance of getting a return for him in a Draft Day trade, when he still has two years on his contract. After that, what reason would Tom Fitzgerald have to cough up anything even close to a fair offer, considering Rutherford has publicly doubted whether Quinn would take a high salary to stay in Vancouver while his brothers are in New Jersey?
Or, perhaps a comment like this won’t be received well by the executives in New Jersey, and the teams don’t discuss anything at all. This could play out for a long time.
I do know this. While I would not have minded Luke Hughes being offered a smaller-AAV one-year bridge before this incident (with the hopes of constructing a deeper roster), I do not want to see anything other than a eight-year offer from Fitzgerald now. The Canucks have made their intentions known. So these comments from Rutherford may have a material impact on the Devils, and I think the league needs to step in because of that. However, since Rutherford cannot make that offer sheet this July, Tom Fitzgerald can put the whole issue to bed by making that offer. He can even do it this week.
All that said, though — back to playoff hockey. You can follow along with the other games going on around the league on our Playoffs Non-Devils Open Post.
Your Thoughts
Did you hear the comments from Jim Rutherford? How do you think the league should respond? Do you think this changes the calculus in how the Devils approach the next couple offseasons? Leave your comments below, and thanks for reading.