The Vancouver Canucks continue to be in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Whether it was the badly hidden rift between star players J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, or the season-long rumors about head coach Rick Tocchet exiting the organization (which did indeed come to pass), it’s no wonder that the team saw such a drop in performance.
It’s been a long fall, from becoming Pacific Division champions and coming within one game of making the Western Conference Playoff Finals in 2024, to scrambling to avoid an unscheduled fire sale and team rebuild in 2025. However, the latest reports out of Vancouver could be even more devastating for the beleaguered club.
NHL Insider Speculates About Quinn Hughes’ Future
With the on and off-ice drama surrounding the Canucks, it’s no surprise that rumors are swirling about whether they’ll be able to hang on to their top players. One hockey fan posted a quote from NHL analyst Rick Dhaliwal on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that Tocchet talked to the Canucks captain before deciding against signing a new contract with the franchise.
“I think Tocchet has a pretty good indication about Hughes staying or going…You think he bolted for no reason? I think he knows some stuff that other people don’t know,” Dhaliwal reportedly said.
Speculation about Hughes, who has only two years left on his $47.1 million contract, leaving the club has been increasing ever since Canucks president Jim Rutherford told reporters during the team’s year-end press conference that the player would like to play with his brothers in the NHL. Both of Hughes’ brothers are currently with the New Jersey Devils.
Sell the team or fans will boycott.
You should have rebuilt ages ago and it shows.
Hire a real coach and get a practice facility already.
If Quinn Hughes goes to New Jersey then you may as well relocate.
Sad pathetic excuse of an organization, ownership, and hockey franchise.
— Cole (@ColeSATurner) May 3, 2025
Tocchet’s unceremonious exit has fueled rumors about Hughes, who was a big supporter of the coach and his methods. Rutherford told reporters that he hadn’t spoken to Hughes after Tocchet refused to sign a new deal, and that alarmed Vancouver fans.
“I hope he’s (Hughes) playing golf because he usually returns my calls right away,” Rutherford said via dailyhive.com. “And I called him within half an hour after I talked to Rick. So he hasn’t called me back yet. Knowing how he feels about the coach and that he’s a sensitive guy, I would suspect that he feels like I do. We’re disappointed. But knowing the maturity of Quinn, he will make the adjustment necessary.
Rutherford continued, “But they did have a very strong relationship, a very good one, and Quinn had a lot of respect for him and Tocch had a lot of respect for Quinn, so there will definitely be an adjustment there.”