NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman Gives Update Following Jim Rutherford's Comments on Quinn Hughes
Photo credit: Bob Frid - USA TODAY Sports
Elliotte Friedman gave an update on Wednesday following the comments made by Jim Rutherford regarding Quinn Hughes' future in Vancouver.
When the Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford sat in front of reporters on Monday for their season-ending media availability, nobody could've expected what they heard from the team's President of Hockey Operations regarding Quinn Hughes' future as a Canuck.
Rutherford told reporters on Monday that it might not come down to money with their captain in contract talks as Hughes has expressed a desire in the past to eventually play with his brothers, adding that it could be out of his control, unless they somehow brought Jack and Luke to Vancouver.
Elliotte Friedman gives update following Jim Rutherford's comments on Quinn Hughes
After initially mentioning that one way of getting Quinn Hughes to play with his brothers would be to trade for them, Rutherford backed off a bit, saying that he didn't want tampering charges from the league, which he avoided yesterday.
During this week's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman gave his opinion on the comments made by Jim Rutherford.
Friedman believes that Jim Rutherford was quite candid with his remarks on Quinn Hughes because he wanted to let the fan base know that there's a possibility their captain might not be with the Vancouver Canucks for his entire career in the National Hockey League.
"To me, the bigger thing about that was Jim Rutherford warning his fan base that it's possible Quinn Hughes might not be a lifelong Canuck. That's what that told me and look, the Canucks had a nightmare year. They went from a one goal loss to the team that went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to out of the playoffs and with a lot of questions...a lot of questions." Friedman said.
He added, "That is not going to make Quinn Hughes happy. He wants to win. Like if Vancouver is a good team, I don't think they worry about this as much. But I think, you know, Rick Tocchet is uncertain, the team on the ice is uncertain. What I am guessing is the Vancouver Canucks know that if they don't stabilize things, in two years Quinn Hughes is going to say "You know what guys, I want to win. I want to win." and if it's not solid there, I think they know they could lose him and that's what that was about."
He added, "That is not going to make Quinn Hughes happy. He wants to win. Like if Vancouver is a good team, I don't think they worry about this as much. But I think, you know, Rick Tocchet is uncertain, the team on the ice is uncertain. What I am guessing is the Vancouver Canucks know that if they don't stabilize things, in two years Quinn Hughes is going to say "You know what guys, I want to win. I want to win." and if it's not solid there, I think they know they could lose him and that's what that was about."
If the Vancouver Canucks were to lose Quinn Hughes to unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2027, that would be devastating for the organization and quite frankly, could be the end of the line for a lot of fans who have been deeply invested in this team for years or even decades.
Hopefully for the organization's sake, they will be able to turn this around next year and return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and will make moves this summer to show Quinn Hughes they're serious about winning, which could lead to an extension for one of the greatest players this franchise has ever seen.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 24 | 591 ANSWERS NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman Gives Update Following Jim Rutherford's Comments on Quinn Hughes Do you think Quinn Hughes will be with the Vancouver Canucks for the entirety of his NHL career? | ||
| Yes | 226 | 38.2 % |
| No | 365 | 61.8 % |
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