Elliotte Friedman opines noise of Quinn Hughes trade is tied to Canucks "nightmare" season

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified Jun 03, 2025 08:57 GMT

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Quinn Hughes was a standout performer for the Vancouver Canucks, despite the team's struggling season that led to missing the playoffs and eventually the departure of head coach Rick Tocchet.

Hughes' future is uncertain as he approaches the end of his six-year, $47 million contract, set to expire after the 2026-27 season, when he'll become an unrestricted free agent.

While the Canucks aim to retain Quinn Hughes long-term, the Canucks captain has expressed interest in playing with his brothers, Jack and Luke, who are with the New Jersey Devils, fueling speculation about his future.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet 650 suggested that trade rumors surrounding Hughes are tied to the Canucks' poor performance. He noted that when the club reached the second round of the playoffs last term and pushed the Oilers to seven games, such speculation was absent.

"Last year when they went to the second round of the playoffs and took Edmonton to seven games, nobody was talking about any of this stuff. Nobody. And this year, they have a nightmare year. They trade Miller, they miss the playoffs, their coach leaves. Now this comes out," Friedman said.

However, the team's challenging year, marked by trading J.T. Miller, missing the playoffs, and losing their coach, has amplified these discussions.

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"I look at it this way — if you're Quinn Hughes, I think more than anything else, he wants to win. And if the Vancouver Canucks are in a situation where they can win, I don't think we're hearing a lot of this noise."

Hughes is going to start looking and saying, “I don't want to be somewhere where I'm not going to win.” So I don't think this is a question if the Canucks are a winner. I think it's purely a question because they're not going very well." he added.

Friedman believes that if the Canucks were winning, Quinn Hughes' desire to stay would outweigh other factors, but the team's struggles have raised questions about his long-term commitment.

Jim Rutherford and Canucks committed to keeping Quinn Hughes

Earlier in April, the Vancouver Canucks president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, stressed that the team cannot afford to lose Quinn Hughes and will do everything possible to retain him, but ultimately the decision will be Hughes'.

“This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes and we will do everything we can to keep him here, but at the end of the day, it will be his decision,” Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford via NHL."

Hughes accumulated 76 points through 16 goals and 60 assists in 68 games this season.