It isn't every year that an NHL team makes a franchise-altering move. In fact, decades can go by without such a transaction. Winning the lottery is franchise-altering luck, but there isn't a move associated with that outside of being a lousy team.
One move that would be a franchise-altering move of the highest level is acquiring Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks. Of course, he is the older brother of Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes, who currently play for the Devils. All three of them were top-seven draft picks.
Throughout the week, there has been a lot of discourse on this topic as both Jack and Quinn are representing their teams at the NHL Media Tour going on in Las Vegas.
Following Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Rutherford's comments from back in the spring about Quinn wanting to play with his brothers, there was always going to be this question waiting for them when they returned.
I asked Jack Hughes about whether he talks to his brother Quinn about his future and possibly playing together.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 9, 2025
``This is the headline question, you know?,’’ Jack smiled back.
``Honestly, I'm not afraid to say it. Yeah, I would love for Quinn to -- eventually I'd love to play…
Quinn Hughes met with our media group this morning here in Vegas. He was asked about his brother's comment. Said the Canucks captain:
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 10, 2025
``I mean, he's my brother. What's he supposed to say, first of all? `Like, I don't want to play with him, you know?' ... I mean, we have contracts… https://t.co/iwHdTnAMiB
Jack Hughes is a top-ten NHL center, while Luke Hughes is a budding superstar on the back-end. These are the type of players that the Devils hope can be built around to win a Stanley Cup. With Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, and Timo Meier also there, the core is solidified.
With that said, adding Quinn would take this thing to a whole new level. One of Cale Makar or Quinn Hughes is the best defenseman in the NHL every year. The other is the second best.
If Quinn came to the Devils, he'd automatically become their go-to guy in all situations. He'd quarterback the top power play unit and be their main driver of offense on the back end right away. For obvious reasons, all three would project to take their games to the next level if they teamed up as well.
Luke is currently an RFA. The Devils are looking to get him signed before training camp begins, but they are running out of time. Unlike other RFAs, however, there is no deadline to get Luke's deal done by a certain time before he's banned from playing in 2025-26.
As for Jack, he is signed through 2030, so the Devils hold the cards on that front. Quinn is going to need a new contract after the 2026-27 season, so Vancouver would likely want to have this resolved one way or another by the time training camp opens next year.
Both teams are cognizant of this story at this point, and there will be some hard conversations about it. The fact that the players are open to answering the question with the truth says a lot about their thoughts on it. It certainly makes the future a lot easier to predict. If the Devils do get a deal for Quinn done, it could be a Stanley Cup-winning move.