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Details of the Vancouver Canucks attempting to acquire the Hughes brothers to keep Quinn Hughes comes to light
Photo credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
It was only a few months ago where Jim Rutherford believed he could have Quinn Hughes, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes all playing for the Vancouver Canucks, and only half a season later Quinn is with the Minnesota Wild.
The Canucks poor start to the season was the nail in the coffin for Quinn Hughes, and Jim Rutherford had no chance of keeping him.
"Given the circumstances and the fact Hughes was destined to leave the club as a free agent in the summer of 2027, the Vancouver Canucks did quite well with the return for their captain, landing defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi & Liam Ohgren, along with a first round pick in 2026."-Jaxon
What could have been for the Vancouver Canucks?
David Quadrelli of Canucks Army reported on the comments made by Rutherford last summer, when asked about re-signing Quinn Hughes to a new deal. And he said money would be the second priority on Hughes' list.
"The one thing that we will be sure of is that we will have enough cap space to offer him the kind of contract that he deserves. That's the one thing we can prepare for. And it may not boil down to money with him. He's said before he wants to play with his brothers, and that would be partly out of our control, in our control, if we brought his brothers here. So there's many moving parts here. [I] agree 100% 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'll be it'll be his decision."-Rutherford
Unfortunately a lot can change in so little time. And the Canucks are now at the bottom of the NHL, without Hughes, and on their way to a lottery pick this summer. It either shows how out of touch Rutherford is, or how fast everything deteriorated for the Canucks, judging by their lineup entering the season, it's more how out of touch the front office was.
"The Canucks got off to a dreadful start this season, and around American Thanksgiving, Hughes informed the Canucks he wouldn't be sticking around. This gave them ample opportunity to maximize what they could get for in a trade involving Hughes, and they did just that when they traded Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a first round pick."-Quadrelli
Unfortunately fans will never get to witness all three Hughes brothers on the Canucks, however with Quinn's contract coming to an end in two seasons, it's possible to see them together on a different team.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily