Every year, more and more writers and analysts try to predict the future, a future that includes Quinn Hughes joining his brothers Jack and Luke Hughes in New Jersey to play for the Devils. While it would be nice to pair the three stars together, it’s becoming less and less likely as the Devils become contenders.
We’ve covered why the dream is dead earlier in the offseason, but the latest rumors mean it’s further now than it was then. Reports say Quinn Hughes will be the Vancouver Canucks next captain. The first captain of the Canucks was Orland Kurtenbach of the 1970 Canucks. The most recent captain was Bo Horvat, but the Canucks didn’t name a replacement captain right away. Now, the eldest Hughes brother will reportedly be the guy.
Captaincy isn’t the end all be all. Devils fans know that more than anyone. Zach Parise was named captain, he accepted it, and he was out of town and on his way home less than 12 months later. What’s wild is Parise is the only person not named Scott Stevens to carry the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final. That’s beyond the point.
Hughes seems different. He’s not the type of player to take the captaincy knowing this this a notch on his belt. It would be pretty easy to tell the team it’s not something he wants to accept if he was thinking about a life on the other side of the border.
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The Canucks also have Elias Pettersson right there. He’s their star player. It makes sense for him to be captain. The fact that he isn’t is a statement, but that’s for someone else to dig into. For now, we have Quinn Hughes, likely captain of the Vancouver Canucks. It seems like the remaining four years of his contract will remain in Western Canada. Of course, things can change in an instant, but we’re thinking the Hughes dream is deader than ever.