The future of star defenseman Quinn Hughes and his future with the Vancouver Canucks is up in the air.
The website PuckPedia’s PuckGM tool lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Canucks trading Hughes to play with his brothers with the New Jersey Devils.
Canucks acquire:
- Dawson Mercer
- Simon Nemec
- Mikhail Yegorov (Signing Rights)
- 2025 second-round pick
- 2026 first-round pick
- 2026 second-round pick
Devils acquire:
The proposed deal would be a blockbuster as Vancouver gets two NHL players, a prospect, and three draft picks in exchange for their captain, Hughes.
Vancouver would acquire Mercer, who would be a top-six forward with the Canucks. He has two years left on his three-year, $12 million deal. He recorded 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points in 82 games.
The Canucks would also acquire Nemec who is a former first-round pick, and can help replace the void of Hughes on the blue line. He was selected second overall in 2022, and this past season, he recorded 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points in 27 games.
Vancouver would also acquire Yegorov, who was selected in the second round last season and is a goalie prospect. The Canucks would also get a first and second-rounder in 2026 as well as a second-rounder in 2025 which is a bounty.
In return, the Devils would acquire Hughes, who is one of, if not the best, defenseman in the NHL. His two brothers, Jack and Luke, also play for New Jersey, so the Devils would reunite them all. He has two years left on his six-year, $47.1 million deal. Hughes would be on New Jersey’s top pair as he recorded 16 goals and 60 assists for 76 points in 68 games.
Canucks Could be Forced to Trade Hughes
Vancouver’s best player, Hughes, but he may not be a member of the Canucks for much longer.
Hughes has two years left on his deal, but Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford hinted at the team having to move the star defenseman soon.
“As for Quinn, no, I don’t have a deadline on that,” Rutherford said on 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon. “I mean, I’ll say the obvious. He’s a wonderful person and a great player, but we do control him for two more years. I think a better way of saying that is that we control him for a year and two-thirds, because if we get to that trade deadline two years from now, and it looks like he doesn’t want to stay then, then we would have to do something at that point. But we are hoping that he’s here to stay and he’s the leader of the team and the face of the franchise.”
Quinn Hughes Wants to Play With His Brothers
Hughes is the older brother of Jack and Luke, and the three are all star players with the Canucks.
Rutherford’s comments just a week after he said Quinn wants to play with his brothers in the future.
“It may not boil down to money with (Quinn). He said before he wants to play with his brothers. And that would be partly out of our control. In our control (is) if we brought his brothers here,” said Rutherford. “This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes and we will do everything we can to keep him here.
Hughes is a one-time Norris winner, which is awarded to the league’s best defenseman.
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