Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald responds to Canucks prez Jim Rutherford's comments regarding Quinn Hughes' desire to play with brothers

New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald was asked about comments made by Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford. Rutherford had suggested that Quinn Hughes might want to join his brothers, Jack and Luke, who play for the Devils. This has made some Canucks fans worried, as Quinn is the team captain and an important player.

Rutherford spoke to the media on Apr. 21 about the situation and said:

“The one thing that we will be sure of is we will have enough cap space to offer him the kind of contract that he deserves. That’s the one thing that we can prepare for. And it may not boil down to money for him.

“He’s said before that he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control [or] in our control if we brought his brothers here. So there’s many moving parts here.”

Hughes has two years left on his contract before he becomes a free agent. Rutherford’s comments hinted that the Canucks may have to trade him to avoid losing him for nothing.

When asked about this, Fitzgerald was careful with his answer.

“I’m not going to speculate on a comment [about] another team’s player,” he said.

He told reporters they should ask Rutherford about the topic. Fitzgerald also said the Devils will focus on evaluating their roster this offseason.

“You’d have to ask Jim about the comment. For me, we’re going to evaluate our own team, where we need to upgrade and some things. I can’t comment on another player,” Fitzgerald said.

Tom Fitzgerald was careful not to break NHL rules about tampering. He avoided saying anything about a player on another team. He even joked a little by reminding reporters that Rutherford often speaks freely.

Tom Fitzgerald open to using offer sheets in 2025 offseason roster plans

In a press conference on Thursday, Tom Fitzgerald spoke about the team’s offseason plans. He mentioned that offer sheets could be one way to improve the roster. He explained that offer sheets only work when a team knows the other side can’t match the deal.

“It’s a tool to improve your team, but you got to have room in your cap space to use it. You probably have to strategically target players and players to do it, knowing full well that there’s no way a team can match because they don’t have the cap space,” Fitzgerald said.

The Devils have over $12 million in cap space going into the summer. Part of that money may go toward a new contract for defenseman Luke Hughes. Even after that, the team should have room to look at other players, including restricted free agents from other teams.

Fitzgerald said the roster needs changes after a disappointing season. The Devils’ offense dropped from 12th to 21st in the league, which was a concern. He clarified that the team will explore every possible way to get better.