It seems pretty clear that Quinn Hughes is going to start next season on the Vancouver Canucks roster. He’s their captain, and he personally hasn’t said anything that makes it seem like he wants out. The only one who’s spoken directly on this from a place of authority is Canucks President Jim Rutherford, who said back in April that there may be a desire to have the Hughes brothers play together. Rutherford made a comment about targeting Jack and Luke Hughes, a comment that came without tampering punishments somehow, but it seems much more likely the brothers would connect in New Jersey.
Knowing that Quinn Hughes has two years left on his deal, this season will be one to watch for the Canucks and Devils. If the Devils play very well, they will be looking to make a huge move to push them over the top. That’s what Fitzgerald did with Timo Meier in 2023, and we’d expect that to happen again in 2025-26.
The Canucks, on the other hand, probably can only change their perspective on Quinn Hughes if they are really bad. With a new, unproven head coach in Adam Foote and a roster in flux, Vancouver is facing a fork in the road season.
If the Canucks are bad this season, we expect to see a rebuild. Last season was so bad, and the drama was so high, that management and ownership is not standing by for anything but success this season. If things go wrong quickly, we could see the Canucks make the move on Quinn Hughes before the trade deadline.
It’s not a guarantee the Devils would get him in this scenario. With two playoff pushes available to them and the ego boost of trying to convince a former Norris Trophy winner to sign long-term instead of joining his brothers, a team might make the move. That’s why the Devils shouldn’t play with fire and just trade for Quinn Hughes when he’s available.
To make a move happen, the Devils need to move money. They will likely start the season over the salary cap once they get Quinn’s brother Luke Hughes signed. They can put Johnny Kovacevic on LTIR to make it work, or they can trade another player away. Point is, they won’t be able to afford Quinn Hughes straight up.
A trade between the Devils and Canucks could work if Dougie Hamilton goes the other way, but why would Hamilton, who has a 10-team trade list, agree to go to Western Canada again just to be a part of a rebuild?
The Toronto Maple Leafs could push a Quinn Hughes trade for the New Jersey Devils
The Devils would have to make the move make sense for Hamilton, and they’d have to target a team he would likely want to go to.
One team that continuously comes up in these conversations is the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hamilton would be a major upgrade for them on the blue line. They don’t have the $9 million in salary cap space, but there’s a reason why this can all work.
Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly has no trade protection. He can be moved at any point. He’s signed long enough to stick through a short rebuild and still be effective. So, moving to the Vancouver Canucks to replace Quinn Hughes makes some sense. He’s cost-controlled, although he is already over 30 years old. The Canucks should want someone to replace Hughes, and if they also end up trading Elias Pettersson, they need to hit the cap floor.
The Devils, Maple Leafs, and Canucks could put together one of the greatest three-team trades in the history of the NHL. Sending the expected Dawson Mercer, first-round pick, and top prospect package to Vancouver for Hughes might allow them to get the Rielly sweetener while also possibly allowing the Devils to keep Simon Nemec. They might end up losing someone like Anton Silayev, but it would be worth it to put the team into contention.