Trade? Vancouver Canucks President Quietly Lays Out What He's Demanding In Return For Quinn Hughes
Photo credit: Bob Frid - Imagn Images.
Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford hinted in an interview this week what the club could seek in return in a Quinn Hughes trade.
Next summer is going to be a big one for the Vancouver Canucks organization, quite possibly the biggest the franchise has seen in at least the last two decades as captain Quinn Hughes becomes eligible to sign a contract extension.
There has been some uncertainty about Hughes' future in Vancouver, especially after Jim Rutherford mentioned that there's a possibility he could leave the club to play with his brothers Jack and Luke of the New Jersey Devils, something the Canucks captain has expressed a desire to do at some point in his National Hockey League career.
"It may not boil down to money with [Quinn]. He said before he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control. In our control if we brought his brothers here." Rutherford said.
Jim Rutherford hints at what Vancouver Canucks could be seeking in a Quinn Hughes trade
This week, Jim Rutherford sat down for an interview with Sportsnet's Iain MacIntyre where the topic of rebuilding came up and the Canucks' President of Hockey Operations didn't seem to keen on wanting to do through one, mainly because it doesn't guarantee success once it's completed.
Rutherford also mentioned that the he doesn't think the club would end up moving some of their top players for draft picks as you never know whether or not those prospects will even make an impact in the National Hockey League.
"So a rebuild is not something that we're going to look at doing. Like I said, we're in transition. But we're not trading all these players for draft picks that may or may not end up playing someday." Rutherford said.
Reading between the lines a bit and as pointed out by Nick Villano of Pucks and Pitchforks, if Quinn Hughes is eventually traded by the Vancouver Canucks, the team will likely seek young players with team control.
Villano shared in his article that two names the Vancouver Canucks could potentially target in a trade with the New Jersey Devils are former World Junior gold medalist Dawson Mercer and 2022 second overall pick Simon Nemec.
We're looking at players like Simon Nemec and Dawson Mercer when talking about this trade. The Devils have seen huge bounce-back seasons from Mercer and Nemec. The young defenseman is coming off a hat trick and overtime winner, and Mercer has 16 points in 17 games." Villano said.
The Vancouver Canucks aren't going to rush out to get a Quinn Hughes trade done anytime soon, so fans don't have to panic on that front just yet, but if this season doesn't go in their favour, meaning they miss out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and contract talks go south next summer, then it's certainly possible Patrik Allvin will open up discussions with other teams regarding the 26-year-old blueliner.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 14 | 1071 ANSWERS Trade? Vancouver Canucks President Quietly Lays Out What He's Demanding In Return For Quinn Hughes Which asset do you think the Vancouver Canucks would want the most from the New Jersey Devils in a Quinn Hughes trade? | ||
| Simon Nemec | 96 | 9 % |
| Dawson Mercer | 47 | 4.4 % |
| Both | 928 | 86.6 % |
| List of polls | ||