HENDERSON, Nev. — When Quinn Hughes landed in Las Vegas Tuesday and Vancouver Canucks communications director Victoria Ullrich alerted him to brother Jack Hughes’ public wish for a family reunion, the defenceman shrugged it off as a nothingburger.
“I don’t even think it’s a big deal,” Quinn told Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas Wednesday during a recording of the 32 Thoughts podcast in Henderson, Nev.
“What’s he supposed to say? That he doesn’t want to play with me? Like, he’s not going to say that. But I would love to play with both of them.
“It would be very cool.”
Cool, we’re guessing, is not how Canucks will feel about all this open chatter about their favourite team’s best player’s desire to skate alongside two members of the New Jersey Devils — one of whom (Jack) is locked up until 2030 and one of whom (youngest brother Luke) is grinding away at an extension with the Devils.
-
-
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Not when the captain of the Canucks is only two seasons away from unrestricted free agency and is making no promises to re-sign.
Yes, the Hughes boys would love to go full Stastny brothers at some point.
“But I’m really looking forward to this year in Vancouver. Just because I feel like it’s a challenge to see if we can have a successful year and make this a successful organization — which I think we can do. And I’m looking forward to that challenge,” Quinn added.
When asked directly the question weighing on Canucks fans’ minds — Do we have a chance to keep this guy? — Quinn said some nice words.
None of them were yes.
“I mean, I’ve really enjoyed Vancouver. I’m very thankful. When I came to Vancouver, I don’t think I even thought I was gonna become what I’ve become. That’s happened because of the people in Vancouver — management, coaching. I’ve had great relationships with Bruce (Boudreau) and Rick (Tocchet),” Hughes said.
“Management’s been kind of giving me the keys to the kingdom a couple years ago. I’m very grateful. As far as this year, I just feel like last year was a failure, and I want to propel my game even further and propel my teammates even further. See what we can do.”
The question of signing an extension, which he’ll be eligible to do on July 1, Hughes said he will answer “with my actions next summer.” He suggested that how well the team performs in 2025-26 will impact those actions.
Hughes is setting a team goal narrowed to the first 10 games and believes a 6-4 or 7-3 start under new head coach Adam Foote will help propel the Canucks down the right path.
Personally, Hughes measures himself against one player: 2025 Norris champ Cale Makar.
“It’s really fun watching Cale play, because I think he’s unbelievable, and I always want to test myself and push myself. So, I always love competing against him,” said Hughes, whose own Norris campaign was derailed by an oblique injury.
“I feel proud of myself with all the challenges, the way I was able to play through that. I feel proud of myself. As far as summer, just kind of needed a reset to refuel for sure,” Hughes said.
Taking cues from Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby’s off-season regimen, Hughes altered his training to make himself more athletic.
“Just didn’t grind my body as much,” he explained.
Hughes touched on a few other topics during the interview, which drops Thursday.
4 Nations frustration
Already playing with a cast to repair the torn hand ligament suffered in December (“The cast was amazing. Shout out, Dr. Hotchkiss in New York!”), Hughes suffered his oblique injury when he got elbowed by Evgenii Dadonov on Jan. 31.
The injury ultimately cost Hughes his shot at best-on-best hockey, and he’s still suffering from 4 Nations FOMO.
Hughes said that, as captain of the Canucks, “I wanted to make sure I was healthy and ready to go for them.” Especially because Vancouver was still in the playoff hunt at the time.
He clarified that although president Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin didn’t want him to fly to Boston and rep Team USA, they also didn’t forbid him to go.
“I don’t think they did want me to play. Just because they wanted me to be fresh, right? And they knew I wasn’t 100 per cent, so I can’t really blame them for that,” Hughes said.
“We’ll just leave it at that. They didn’t block me. That’s the truth. Jimmy and Patrik were very respectful.”
Hughes said he had three calls with U.S. GM Bill Guerin before the 4 Nations final as he wrestled with the decision — “because I really wanted to go.”
So, not pushing it was the right thing to do?
“Probably,” Hughes said. “But it’s frustrating in hindsight because we ended up missing the playoffs.”
Boeser’s back
Hughes was surprised “big time” that Brock Boeser re-upped with the Canucks at the final hour.
“He wanted to stay the whole time. Credit to him,” Hughes said. “He loves Vancouver. His girlfriend’s from Vancouver. He’s got two dogs. He takes him hiking all the time. Just loves the lifestyle and he loves the fan base. Loves everything about it. Wants to be a leader on the team for years to come. I think that we both thought he was gone.”
Let’s go, Petey
Hughes empathizes for the tumultuous season endured by star centre Elias Pettersson, who has returned to Vancouver heavier and stronger — and with plenty to prove.
“I don’t care if he came five pounds lighter or five pounds heavier,” Hughes said. “He’s a gifted player, and we’re very similar guys. I think he grew up and was really undersized and had to rely on his brain. And I think he sees the game in a special way.
“I’m not going to lie to you: All the nonsense last year weighed on him heavily from a personal standpoint and a professional standpoint. No one wants to deal with that. Given that, you have to find a way to perform through that as well. But he’s a really competitive person.
“I expect him to have a great year.”
