With every day that the Vancouver Canucks and its front office puts its proverbial foot in its mouth, it seems more and more likely that captain Quinn Hughes is out the door sooner rather than later. The franchise is a mess, and they even got hacked on social media on Monday. On top of that, team president Jim Rutherford tried to quell the Hughes talk by saying they could go after New Jersey Devils' stars Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes.
The messiness seems to never stop in Vancouver, and it has many thinking the Devils are a formality as Hughes's next destination. With Rick Tocchet leaving his position as head coach, it's the last piece of the puzzle that's keeping Hughes in Vancouver. Now, many are just pencilling in Hughes to New Jersey to join his brothers.
However, we've seen this before. Teams write players together or to specific homes and it doesn't always work out that way. Rumors said that Noah Hanifin was basically locked into Tampa, but he signed long term in Vegas. Many thought Johnny Gaudreau was going to Philadelphia, but he shocked everyone when he chose Columbus. So, before we count our chickens before they hatch, let's take a look at the teams who could sneak Quinn Hughes from right under the Devils' nose, even if they only take him for the remaining two years on his contract.
1. Detroit Red Wings
This one seems like the most likely option out there. For one, the Red Wings need a game changer. They would be willing to make a huge move to add Hughes in exchange for another star. Maybe they send Dylan Larkin to Vancouver to replace some of the stars the lost. Maybe they'd be willing to take both Hughes and Elias Pettersson off their hands, which could motivate the Canucks to make the move.
But what's most important about this is Michigan is home for the Hughes boys. Quinn Hughes went to college at UM. So did his brother Luke. They go to Michigan in the offseason to spend time with their parents. That's where they train. They have connections to Michigan, and Quinn's parents could go to a ton of his games if he was in Detroit. That will be a motivating factor for Quinn Hughes.
2. Vegas Golden Knights
Just like Hanifin before, we cannot discount the fact that the Golden Knights are always willing to go all in on the available assets. Quinn Hughes has two years left on his deal, and Vegas has been known to keep its window open by any means necessary. They seem like they would be willing to go after Hughes for the next two runs and hope a Stanley Cup would be enough to convince him to stick in Vegas.
It's also pretty close to where Hughes is now. We're not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, but it's worth pointing out. If Hughes enjoys the West Coast, Vegas is close enough. Vegas is also in Nevada, a tax-free state. Quinn Hughes doesn't seem to be motivated by money, but it doesn't hurt.
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
We can't talk about this without talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hughes's father Jim Hughes was a coach and in the front office for the Maple Leafs organization from 2006 to 2015. Hughes played for the famous Toronto Marlboros as a teenager while his father was with the Leafs. There has been a rooting interest. We're not sure if it's still there, but it's worth discussing.
It's also worth discussing because the Leafs could really use Hughes. They don't really have a top defensive option on the roster. Morgan Reilly is good, but he's no Quinn Hughes. After so many decades without a Stanley Cup, the Leafs will make a big boy move if it means they are closer to ending their curse.