We are still three months away from the official NHL trade deadline, but rumors are going to happen all year long. Right now, one of the hottest names that keeps being mentioned when it comes to trade rumors is Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

The New Jersey Devils are a team that has been mentioned to acquire him, but truth be told, there would be several suitors for the 26-year-old if the Canucks entertained offers. Vancouver is struggling this season at 11-16-3 and they are just one point ahead of the Nashville Predators from being in the basement of the Western Conference. Hughes is extension eligible next summer, and insider Rick Dhaliwal floated the idea of Vancouver trading him before losing him for nothing on an episode of Canucks Talk podcast.

“I do believe that they internally do think that it’s better to move him this year if — capital letters ‘IF’ — he doesn’t want to commit to the franchise long term,” Dhaliwal said.

If they do seriously entertain an offer and trade him, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes the Washington Capitals could be a team that goes all-in for Hughes on an episode of the NHL Network’s First Shift Podcast.

Elliotte Friedman links the Capitals as a potential destination for Quinn Hughes

Washington has been one of the hottest teams of late in the NHL, and it has vaulted to the top of the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference standings. They know that the East is wide open and that Alex Ovechkin’s championship window isn’t as big as it once was. Hughes could be a piece that gets them over the top in 2025-26.

“One team I’ve wondered about a little bit, and I think there was some noise around them on social today, was Washington,” said Friedman. “This is a special time for the Capitals. Who knows how much longer Ovechkin’s going to be playing? They’re a team I could see say, ‘You know what, we’ll take our chances,’ potentially, if they can make a deal. So that was one team I thought of. I think if he gets traded, it’s most likely [to the] East.”

It is indeed a special time for the Capitals and Ovechkin. The path to the Stanley Cup Final is as wide open as it has been in years in the East. The two-time defending Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers are banged up and injured. Of course, that could change come playoff time, but if there is a year Washington goes all-in to win, it’s this year.

Hughes is scheduled to make $7.85 million through the 2026-27 season, which is an affordable AAV for the Capitals if they are serious about winning and sending Ovechkin out with another championship. As far as the cost to acquire Hughes, it’ll be a high cost, but if there is an organization that is equipped to part ways with some prospects in a deep pool, it’s Washington.

Parting ways with some top prospects might not be what the front office would want to do, but the risk might be worth it. Ovechkin winning another championship would be the icing on the cake for his career. Again, the East is wide open, and getting Hughes for the rest of this year and next in a championship window is certainly something the Capitals need to consider. These opportunities don’t come around much.