Much has been made about Luke Hughes and his next contract with the New Jersey Devils, but the real key to uniting the three brothers in the NHL is Quinn Hughes.
It sounds obvious, given that Luke and Jack Hughes already play for the Devils, but if Luke can secure, at a minimum, the five years his camp has been seeking on that contract, he and Jack will both reach free agency in 2030.
That puts the onus on Quinn, a free agent in 2027, to make a big decision. It's one the 25-year-old is keeping open with two years remaining on his contract and on the heels of a 2024-25 season that was terrible for the Vancouver Canucks in general.
“Every year brings its different challenges. Two of my best buddies (Conor Garland and Brock Boeser) just signed in Vancouver long-term. I will say last year was not fun; it just wasn’t," Hughes told Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet.
Quinn Hughes doesn't commit to Vancouver when prompted in interview
"But I’m a really competitive guy... and last year was a failure, so I’m trying to bring my best. Try to be a great leader and help my team get in the playoffs. Who knows what we can do, and who knows how I’ll be feeling this time next year? It’s still a year away.”
Hughes means well, certainly, but he did talk himself into a circle a little bit and alluded to what everyone was thinking.
The Canucks made more big subtractions than big additions this summer, and that's something that could cost them if they go through another ho-hum season with Hughes's contract winding down.
A rookie head coach in Adam Foote is tasked with replacing Rick Tocchet, who went East and joined the Philadelphia Flyers, on top of managing a Canucks roster that boasts oft-injured Filip Chytil and, presumably, Aatu Raty as its middle-six centers.
They're also banking on young defensemen like Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander to step in and make meaningful NHL impacts right away, which is never a sure thing in this league.
“One thing I’m really good at — or have gotten good at — is I’m very present. I can’t even sign for another year, so there’s nothing I can do. As far as the noise, I can handle the noise. That’s why I’m the captain of the team, because I can handle these things and I can play at an elite level, and it doesn’t matter what’s going on around me," said Hughes.
Time will show us what the next year brings, but the openness and unpredictability of the situation invariably give the Devils a big boost as the last two years of Hughes's contract begin to sand away.