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The Vancouver Canucks hold a major advantage when it comes to contract negotiations with their captain, Quinn Hughes, until mid-September 2026.In about ten months, Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will become eligible to sign a contract extension with the club and with rumors swirling about his future in British Columbia, the team is hoping that they’ll be able to lock up the defenseman as early as Canada Day next year, but it’ll depend on numerous factors including how successful they are this coming season.Regardless of where Quinn Hughes signs, whether it be in Vancouver or another NHL club, he’s set to earn a massive payday and could become the highest paid defenseman in the league, with some reports suggesting that he could be looking a deal worth upwards of $15 million annually.
With the National Hockey League’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement set to go into effect starting in the middle of September 2026, the Vancouver Canucks, for now, have an advantage in contract negotiations with their captains.
Vancouver Canucks hold advantage in contract negotiations with Quinn Hughes
Earlier this summer, when the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association voted to ratify the new CBA, there were a ton of changes that’ll be coming in a little over a year.
From an expanded regular season schedule, shorter training camp and preseason schedule to teams needing to be salary cap compliant for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2027, there’s been quite a lot to talk about regarding the new CBA, however arguably the biggest talking point has to do with contract lengths.
In the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, maximum contract lengths have been shortened going from eight year to seven if you’re re-signing with your current team and from seven to six years for those on the unrestricted free agent market.
As mentioned, these changes don’t go into effect until September 2026, so for the Vancouver Canucks, they hold a big advantage, but it’ll all come down to what Quinn Hughes wants to do.
Between July 1st, 2026 – when Hughes officially becomes eligible to sign an extension – to September 15th, 2026, the Vancouver Canucks are allowed to lock Quinn Hughes up to an eight-year contract, but after that, he can only put pen-to-paper for seven years.
However, if Hughes decides not to re-sign with the Canucks, he will only be able to sign for six years on the open market and could lose quite a bit of money if he chooses to go down that route.
“This is relevant for the #Canucks re-Quinn Hughes.
Per these rules, the team could sign him to an eight-year contract next summer. If he then hit free agency in July 2027, he’d only be eligible to sign for six years with a new team.
That’s a potential ~$30 million difference.” Noah Strang said.
There’s certainly some risks and rewards that Quinn Hughes will have to think about over the next 10+ months and if he wants to maximize the amount he can earn both in terms of total dollars and AAV, then it would be a smart decision to sign an eight-year extension next summer.
Previously on CanucksDaily
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Vancouver Canucks Now Hold Major Leverage Over Quinn Hughes As Extension Talks Heat Up
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