With the opening of NHL Free Agency underway, one thing has become clear for the New Jersey Devils and most of the teams in the NHL. Players are staying put. The Devils brought back Jake Allen, Florida kept their big three, and the Vancouver Canucks brought back Brock Boeser. While in the grand scheme of things, this does not affect the Devils right now.
But it could in two years.
Canucks captain and brother of current Devils Jack and Luke Hughes, Quinn Hughes is a free agent in the 2027 offseason. There were rumors that the Canucks could move on from the eldest Hughes brother if they had no direction. There were more questions than answers when it comes to the roster the Canucks had going into day one of free agency. Now, after what Vancouver did this offseason, Quinn Hughes isn't going anywhere.
The addition of Evander Kane was puzzling. But coming off two Stanley Cup Final trips with the Edmonton Oilers, he provides a winning pedigree. Thatcher Demko and Connor Garland were entering the final years of their contract, and Boeser was seemingly out the door.
When the dust settled after the first few hours of the lackluster frenzy, Demko and Garland signed extensions and Boeser shocked a lot of people by re-signing with the Canucks on a long term deal.
While the Canucks still have some holes to fill in their roster, the fact they were able to bring Boeser back, have Demko and Garland locked up longer term along with Elias Pettersson, Filip Hronek, and Marcus Pettersson shows they still believe they can compete. The Canucks roster has a lot more term on it than it did going into the day. Where does that leave Quinn Hughes?
The Quinn Hughes dream has to wait
The Canucks have all of a sudden shown a talent for keeping talent. With J.T. Miller and his locker room drama gone, the Canucks are likely going to keep Elias Pettersson. The EP40 and Hughes duo can play together for a while without having to deal with the consistent rumors of EP40 being traded.
With less questions surrounding the Canucks and their future roster, one would think it makes it harder for Hughes to leave. Now, it all depends on how the team performs, but with a core that can grow together without the fear of being disbanded, it may appeal to Hughes. As of right now, the Devils seem to have more questions than answers.
At the time of Hughes' free agency, the Devils will have a 37-year-old Jake Allen in net and likely one of their prospects. Most importantly, Devils captain Nico Hischier will also be a free agent at the same time. With the booming salary cap, it is entirely possible that the Devils can fit all three Hughes brothers, bring back Hischier, and fill the roster around them with a good goalie. However, those are too many 'what-ifs.'
For the next five seasons at least, the Cancuks will have Demko and Kevin Lankinen between the pipes, Petterson, Boeser, Garland, and Jake DeBrusk all under contract. The core for the Canucks is there. The eldest Hughes could very well choose to stay there and finish what he started for them.
The Devils, in the end, cannot count of Hughes going to unrestricted free agency in 2027 as being a sure thing. They cannot wait to make a move now at risk of not having cap space in two years. The moves have to be smart. While general managers always have to plan many years in advance for certain things, planning on someone that may not choose to leave being available is not something Tom Fitzgerald can afford doing.
That might mean trading for Quinn Hughes before he's a free agent, or it might mean laying the groundwork with a winning roster. Either way, the Hughes connection will have to wait at least another year.
If Fitzgerald sits on his hands and waits for the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes and the team falters, he may not be the one in charge when Hughes could become available.