Quinn Hughes’ future as a Vancouver Canuck is very much in question, and if the team continues to struggle, speculation about his departure will only get louder. That’s been the case of late, as Vancouver sits on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, with a 9-11-2 record through the first 22 games of the campaign.
There is still time to get on track and push for at least a wild-card spot, but the Western Conference is loaded at the top, so that’s much easier said than done.
On the flip side, if things stay the same, Hughes could become the most talked-about name in the lead-up to the trade deadline, and with that looking more and more likely, former NHLer Mike Rupp recently emphasized that it’s only a matter of time before he inevitably teams up with Jack and Luke in New Jersey.
Rupp said:
“I would bet the farm these three brothers are on the same team, like they will play on the same team in the NHL, I think sooner than later. And so does that mean it’s New Jersey? Quite possibly. It would be a wild situation if it was somewhere else. I don’t think that Quinn is going to sign a short-term deal in Vancouver. Vancouver needs to trade Quinn Hughes, like you see it coming. You saw it with the Tkachuk’s… like it’s going to happen,”
The 26-year-old Hughes is in the fifth season of the six-year, $47.1 million extension he signed with the Canucks back in 2021.
Should Vancouver Trade Quinn Hughes This Season?
It’s the question everyone is asking themselves in Vancouver: Should we bite the bullet and move our captain if improvements in the standings aren’t made in the coming weeks and months?
Trading away a top-10 caliber player in the world like Hughes will never feel good. Still, as Rupp mentioned, it’s becoming impossible to envision a scenario where he extends with the Canucks, so the sooner they make the decision, the better.
