New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes isn’t walking on eggshells when it comes to discussing a potential future where he gets to play on the same team as his brother Quinn Hughes.
“Honestly, I’m not afraid to say it… Eventually, I’d love to play with him,” the 24-year-old centerman told reporters at the NHL’s Player Media Tour on Tuesday. “Whether that’s in New Jersey… At some point, I want to play with Quinn. That’s the question going around. They talk all day about it up in Vancouver. I’d love to play with Quinn at some point.”
Quinn’s current contract with the Canucks is set to expire in 2027, while Jack is locked in with the Devils until 2030, hence the subtle pitch to have his older sibling fly East instead of the other way around. And despite their younger brother, Luke, currently being a restricted free agent, Jack is confident he’ll return to New Jersey, where the pair have teamed up for the last two seasons.
“Eventually [a deal] will get done,” Jack told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast. “I know [Luke] wants to stay in New Jersey.”
The flip side of that coin could be possible as well after comments made by Canucks president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, in April after his team failed to make the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
“You know, he said before he wants to play with his brothers, and that would be partly out of our control [but] in our control if we brought his brothers here,” Rutherford said when asked about Quinn’s upcoming extension eligibility. “So there’s many moving parts here. [I] agree 100 percent that this franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes, and we will do everything we can to keep him here.”
Quinn and Jack have been teammates before for Team USA at the 2019 World Juniors, but all three brothers could don the red, white, and blue at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Quinn was named one of the first six members of the roster in June.
Last season, the brothers combined for 190 points (50g, 140a), making them a potential offensive juggernaut for whichever club manages to garner their services. But Jack isn’t giving that hypothetical any oxygen, at least for now.
“At the end of the day, he’s either gonna stay or he’s gonna go,” the three-time NHL All-Star told Friedman. “He still likes it there. Quinn’s not the one making any noise. Quinn has one focus, and that’s to go to Vancouver, play elite hockey, and get in the playoffs.”
