Quinn Hughes won’t be eligible for an extension until July 1, 2026, but that certainly hasn’t stopped the rumors about his potential departure from Vancouver.
President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford didn’t help the cause in his year-end media availability by mentioning Hughes’ desire to one day play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, who both reside in New Jersey.
That will forever stick in the back of everyone’s minds, knowing that the Canucks captain could be gone if Vancouver has another poor season in 2025-26.
Despite that, Hughes ensures that he’s able to block it all out and is focused on the here and now. He recently spoke to Sportsnet’s Ian MacIntyre about the noise around both his future and the organization as a whole.
“One thing I’m really good at — or have gotten good at — is I’m very present. I can’t even sign for another year, so there’s nothing I can do. As far as the noise (about his future), I can handle the noise. That’s why I’m the captain of the team, because I can handle these things, and I can play at an elite level, and it doesn’t matter what’s going on around me,” Hughes said.
“And as far as the noise around my teammates, I’m going to try to help everyone else, too, and be as good a leader as I can be. Noise doesn’t bother me. It’s a long year, and I’m just going to be day-to-day and focus on the short term. That’s the truth, honestly,” Hughes added.
After the summer to process a winter of upheaval with the Vancouver Canucks, captain Quinn Hughes said he hasn’t made any decisions about his long-term future with the team. @imacSportsnet has the latest in this exclusive interview. https://t.co/BTyKsOVSSd
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 3, 2025
As referred to, the 25-year-old has two years remaining on the six-year, $47.1 million contract he signed with the Canucks back in 2021.
Next season looms large for Hughes and the Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks will be under immense pressure to have a successful 2025-26 season, because if it goes anything close to the way 2024-25 went, then the Quinn Hughes conversations will start getting real.
Hughes emphasized his competitiveness and desire to win in the interview with MacIntyre, so last year’s lost season really weighed on him.
Management is doing everything they can to keep their superstar happy, retaining his good friends in Brock Boeser and Conor Garland while trying to get back into the playoffs.
That’s a start, but as Quinn Hughes said himself, how will he be feeling this time next year? He doesn’t know yet, because that’s still a year away, and we know how much can transpire in that period of time.
