The Vancouver Canucks would be wise not to follow in the footsteps of the Toronto Maple Leafs when it comes to franchise defenseman Quinn Hughes.
The Maple Leafs let star forward Mitch Marner enter his contract year without locking him up to an extension, and when Marner didn’t want to re-up with Toronto, the team traded his rights to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Nicolas Roy — a deal that fetched nowhere near close to fair value for Marner, who was coming off a career-high 102-point season.
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And while the Canucks have Hughes under contract for two more seasons, unless the team can convince him to ink a long-term deal before next offseason, the chances he bolts in free agency the following year are pretty high.
Hughes has made it known he wants to play with his brothers — Jack Hughes, a center for the New Jersey Devils, and Luke Hughes, a defenseman, also for the Devils — leading many to believe Quinn ends up in New Jersey by 2027.
The Athletic’s James Mirtle is one of them, and during his recent mailbag, Mirtle suggested the Devils could try and pull off a trade for the elder Hughes brother as soon as this season given the Canucks likely won’t be contending for much of anything next season.
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Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) shares laugh with his brother New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes (86) in the second period at Rogers Arena.Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
“Maybe Vancouver surprises and has a huge bounce-back season that convinces their captain to stay,” Mirtle wrote. “Feels unlikely to me, to be honest, but that’s their best-case scenario. Otherwise, they have to start contemplating what a blockbuster trade might look like and whether it’s all about futures.
“For the Devils, if Hughes wants to go there to join his brothers, how do you not make that commitment next summer? By the time he gets a massive new extension in 2027-28, New Jersey has acres of cap room: $62 million, before accounting for a potential RFA deal for Luke.”
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Quinn, 25, is just two years removed from winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy, given annually to the top defenseman in the NHL.
He’s having a four-year run that would make most blueliners jealous, notching 68 or more points each year with back-to-back seasons of 16 or more goals and a career-high 92 points in 2023.
If the Devils and Canucks were to swing a trade, New Jersey has plenty of prospects that could interest Vancouver including defensemen Simon Nemec and Seamus Casey, the No. 1 and 3-ranked prospects in the organization, per The Athletic, plus forwards Lenni Hameenaho (No. 5) and Herman Traff (No. 6).
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the NHL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.