The ongoing Winter Olympics have drawn strong attention to Team USA’s roster. Players and management are preparing for the best-on-best hockey, where they will face top hockey nations.
However, one team’s social media post was at the center of attention this week. It was so, after fans and media members brought small details to the forefront, a detail involving star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Devils’ Olympic Team USA Photo Puts Quinn Hughes Back in the Spotlight
Team USA’s projected Olympic lineup gained interest as NHL players returned to the Games for the first time since 2014. The roster features forwards Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel, with Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber leading the defense group. Connor Hellebuyck headlines the goaltending unit.
Hughes now plays for the Minnesota Wild after a major December trade from Vancouver that sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick the other way. The deal ended earlier rumors linking Hughes to the New Jersey Devils, where his brothers Jack and Luke currently play.
Recently, with the NHL games on break and the focus on the Olympics, the Devils posted an edited Team USA image featuring their star player, Jack Hughes. However, a visible edit was done to remove Quinn from that photo, who was standing between Jack and Tkachuk brothers.
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The post came almost two months after Minnesota completed the trade, which made the timing stand out. Some observers found the image awkward and questioned why a professional team would share an altered version of a widely used photo.
Reporter Shayna reacted first with a lighthearted comment, posting, “Photoshop is my passion,” which set the tone for early reactions.
Shortly after, NHL insider Ryan Whitney wrote, “Did the Devils take the picture of the Tkachuk brothers with the Hughes brothers and edit Quinn out? I think they did. What the hell is going on in Jersey? What a bizarre move.”
ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski added more context by mentioning earlier trade speculation involving the Devils and Hughes. He wrote, “The @NJDevils are not exactly beating the ‘Quinn Hughes trade mentally broke us’ accusations. The team posted a photo of the Tkachuk brothers and the Hughes brothers published by USA Hockey … and awkwardly edited out Quinn.”
Podcast hosts from Locked On Devils also shared their reaction online, saying, “The #NJDevils cropped Quinn Hughes out of the Team USA picture. This is the picture they actually posted, zoomed in. A professional North American sports team posted this picture on their socials. You cannot make this up.”
While the online debate continued, Hughes was focused on preparing for the Olympics. Later, after the Olympic break, he will fulfill his role with the Minnesota Wild to help them qualify for the playoffs and potentially win the Stanley Cup.
