Ex-NHL executive drops bold take on Quinn Hughes' Canucks future amidst speculations involving Devils

The Vancouver Canucks have begun to crumble around Quinn Hughes.

J.T. Miller and Rick Tocchet are both gone, Brock Boeser is on his way out the door, and Thatcher Demko and Elias Pettersson face uncertain futures. The constant dysfunction around the Canucks organization has taken a toll on many, and it's all led to worries about how Quinn Hughes is feeling.

President Jim Rutherford notably said during his end-of-year media availability that Quinn told him he wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes. Whether that would be in Vancouver or New Jersey is the big question; however, the Devils' option is much more plausible, and one former NHL executive thinks it could happen.

Pierre McGuire was on The Sheet with Jeff Marek on Friday morning and dove deeper into the speculation about Quinn Hughes joining his brothers in New Jersey. The Sheet Hockey shared the clip with his comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"I do think they want to play together. And that was speculated a long time ago, when Luke was, you know, when the potential to draft Luke was there. Because it wasn't Tommy Fitzgerald who drafted Jack Hughes, it was Ray Shero who drafted Jack Hughes, the late Ray Shero. So then Tommy took over for Ray when Ray got let go, and obviously he took Luke Hughes," McGuire said.

"So you know, now Quinn's out there on the horizon. Do I think he could be a member of the New Jersey Devils? I do, I do. Jimmy never would've put that out there unless he thought the same thing," McGuire added.

Quinn Hughes has two years remaining on the six-year, $47,100,000 contract extension signed with the Canucks in 2021.

The Canucks need to determine Quinn Hughes' future with the team

Before anything else, the Vancouver Canucks need to get a firm answer from Quinn Hughes on his future plans.

If his sights are set solely on New Jersey, management must begin listening to trade offers. NHL executive Laurence Gilman echoed that sentiment on the Sekeres and Price show on Thursday.

"If you feel strongly that this guy is going to walk out the door in 2 years, it would behoove you to at least listen. Particularly if the New Jersey Devils, let's say, come knocking and say, Ok, we're interested in taking him. How can we frame this? Because you're going to get more for him now," Gilman said.

The 25-year-old is arguably the best defenseman in the NHL and just racked up 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists) in 68 games this season, earning a nomination as a finalist for the Norris Trophy. He would certainly recoup a massive haul, being one of the most valuable trade chips in the league.

On the other side of the spectrum, should the Hughes brothers all reunite in New Jersey, the Devils would be a juggernaut in the Metropolitan division for a long, long time.