Hughes Still 'Dead Set' on Winding Up With the New Jersey Devils: Report

Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes posing for picture on ice

The Minnesota Wild took a huge swing and hit a home run, winning the Quinn Hughes Sweepstakes with their blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. But will that home run ball be thrown back onto the field, so to speak, when Hughes hits free agency in two summers?

According to Steve Ewan in The Vancouver Province, Hughes will almost certainly still ultimately wind up with his brothers in New Jersey.

Hughes is set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season, and there’s already rampant speculation in the hockey world that he’s dead set on hitting the open market when he’s eligible and signing with the New Jersey Devils.

It seems that the Canucks have known all along, even before president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford spilled the beans in the spring, that Hughes was intent on playing with his brothers Luke and Jack, who are currently signed to long-term deals with the Devils. Those contracts will keep them in New Jersey through at least 2030 (for Jack) and 2032 (for Luke).

The Wild can offer Hughes more money & more term than any other team; Will it be enough?

The Wild will try their best over the next season and a half to convince Quinn Hughes that he can be happy long-term with them, in a winning environment. They are the only team that can offer him an eight-year deal, including front-loading the contract and offering unlimited signing bonuses. The new CBA rules will forbid all that as of September 15th, 2026.

But it doesn't seem like money is what's fueling Hughes in considering his future. Winning is certainly one thing that we know is on his mind, and the Wild have a chance to show him that. But for Hughes, it might be that blood is thicker than Stanley Cups, and he could indeed wind up with his bros in New Jersey.