What Does a Realistic Package for Quinn Hughes Look Like?

Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Rutherford had a shocking quote about the league's best defenseman... how can the Devils pounce?

Yesterday afternoon, Vancouver Canucks GM Jim Rutherford shocked the hockey world with a quote that quite literally nobody expected to hear about Quinn Hughes’ future in Vancouver:

“It may not boil down to money with him. He said before he wants to play with his brothers. That would be partly out of our control, in our control if we brought his brothers here.”

Obviously, there is no world in which the Devils would consider trading Jack and Luke to Vancouver. The opposite may hold true, though. Rutherford all but confirmed that Quinn will be pining to make the move to New Jersey after his contract expires after the 2026-27 season — that is, if the Devils don’t make a move for him first.

I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility at all that Devils’ GM Tom Fitzgerald attempts to make a trade for the eldest Hughes brother this off-season — why waste another year of Jack’s prime? Quinn is arguably the best defenseman in the league and is under contract for a ridiculously team-friendly $7.85 million. Add to the equation the facts that the Devils as a team are just now entering their true Cup contention window, that Luke is just now entering his prime, and that Vancouver no longer has any leverage.

So, what would the Devils have to give up to complete their collection?

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Comparable Trades

I’m not quite sure there are examples of defensemen quite as good as Quinn getting traded in the modern era, but some high-profile defensemen have been traded in recent memory.

Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks, 2018

On September 13, 2018, the Ottawa Senators traded then-elite 28-year-old defenseman Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for an unprotected 2020 first-round selection, a 2021 second-rounder, forwards Josh Norris, Chris Tierney, and Rudolfs Balcers, and defenseman Dylan DeMelo. The Sharks also got a forward prospect, Francis Perron, in the deal, though that isn’t particularly relevant.

This is obviously a gigantic package for a defenseman who had produced 0.82 points per game in his career prior to this point. Karlsson was widely regarded as one of the best defensemen in the league, though I’m of the opinion that he was a lesser player then than Q. Hughes is now.

Regardless, looking at the package, the Senators acquired the Sharks’ then-highest-rated prospect (Norris), two depth forwards (Tierney, Balcers), a second-pairing defenseman (DeMelo), a second (Zack Ostapchuk), and an unprotected first — one that ended up being 3rd overall (Tim Stützle). I will say, though, that no one expected the Sharks to tank quite as much as they did, so it is a bit unfair to gauge the 3rd overall selection as such — it wasn’t supposed to be that high a pick.

Chris Pronger to the Anaheim Ducks, 2006

This one is digging pretty deep into my knowledge of hockey trades since 2000 (I wasn’t watching hockey in 2006, to reverse-age myself), but the point stands that it was a gigantic trade for one of the league’s best defensemen at the time. On July 3, 2006, the Edmonton Oilers sent Chris Pronger to the Ducks in exchange for two first-round picks (2007 and 2008), a 2008 second-rounder, defenseman Ladislav Smid, and forward Joffrey Lupul.

Pronger was 31 at the time, with a Norris Trophy in his repertoire and six top-10 finishes for the trophy outside of the win. By all accounts, he was one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

In exchange, the Oilers got Smid, a defensive defenseman who was the Ducks’ most highly-touted prospect at the time (and who was selected 9th overall in 2004), and Lupul, one of the Ducks’ best young players (and who was selected 7th overall in 2002). The first-round pick in 2007 ended up being 30th overall and was used as a trade chip. The Oilers did use the 2008 first to select Jordan Eberle at 22nd overall. The second-rounder in 2008 was also traded, but was a late-round selection.

So, to summarize, in exchange for 31-year-old Pronger, the Oilers got two late first-round picks as well as two very highly-touted young players.

Honorable Mention: PK Subban to the Nashville Predators, 2016

This one is a tough one to use as a comparable because two top-tier defensemen, PK Subban and Shea Weber, were traded for each other. I honestly just wanted to include it because it was one of the most fun trades on one of the most fun days in recent NHL history — for the Devils diehards, this happened in the same 17-minute span that saw Adam Larsson get traded one-for-one for Taylor Hall.

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Making a Package for Quinn Hughes (+)

With all that in mind, it’s time to give a package for Quinn Hughes my best shot.

Before I get into it, it’s important to establish a few things: 1) Hughes (25) is much younger than Karlsson (28) and Pronger (31) were when they were traded, meaning he still has many more years of his prime left to play; 2) Hughes is arguably better than both of them relative to the time they were traded as well, making him a more valuable player; 3) the Canucks lost all leverage they had by outright saying that Quinn’s goal is to play with his brothers at some point, fully knowing that it’s going to be impossible to bring the other two Hughes brothers to Vancouver; and 4) let’s operate under the assumption that this happens after the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, but before the 2025-26 NHL season begins.

With that out of the way, we can get into the nitty gritty.

Without a doubt, the Devils will need to send an unprotected first-rounder in the 2026 NHL Draft as well as Anton Silayev, the team’s most highly-regarded LHD prospect. Those are non-negotiables, in my opinion, but that’s still a long ways away from what the Devils would need to send in order to acquire the superstar defenseman.

On top of the 2026 1st and Silayev, the Devils would need to send another young player or two. The Canucks are in dire need for a center, so it’s likely to assume that Dawson Mercer would be of interest. Mercer, 23, has never missed a game in his NHL career and has produced at an above-half-point-per-game level thus far in his tenure in the big leagues. The second young player can be much lower-profile, in my opinion. Perhaps they can add the rights to Nolan Foote or send over Cam Squires. I still think it’s a bit off, so throw in one of their two 2026 fourth-round picks.

In a vacuum, considering the Canucks have nearly zero leverage here, sending over 2026 1st, 2026 4th, Anton Silayev, Dawson Mercer, and Nolan Foote/Cam Squires is probably fair.

If I’m the Devils, though, I’m making this deal a little more complicated by adding a middle-six winger to the mix: Nils Höglander. The Devils are in need of talent on the wings, especially if they get rid of Mercer in the deal for Quinn. Höglander is a quietly strong player who is capable of playing anywhere in the top nine with success and only gets paid $3 million a year (until 2027-28). He has a 24-goal season under his belt, and the Devils would be buying low after a rough season.

For him, I think he could be had for a 2028 3rd. As I said, good player, but he’s at a low point, value-wise.

In summation:
TO NJD: Quinn Hughes, Nils Höglander
TO VAN: Unprotected 2026 1st, 2026 4th, 2028 3rd, Anton Silayev, Dawson Mercer, Nolan Foote/Cam Squires

There are two big wrenches in this equation, to me. One is that the Devils would then have four left-handed defensemen on the roster: Quinn and Luke, Brenden Dillon, and Jonas Siegenthaler. I’d steer clear of moving Siegenthaler simply by virtue of how excellent he is defensively, and Dillon has a full no-trade clause so he’d either have to be begged hands-and-knees to be included in the deal, would have to be waived, or would force one of Quinn or Luke to play on their off-hand. The other is that perhaps the Canucks want to try their hand at a retool rather than fully committing to being horrible for a few years (even though that’s the smart thing to do).

In that case, perhaps it looks something like this:
TO NJD: Quinn Hughes, Nils Höglander, 2027 5th
TO VAN: Unprotected 2026 1st, 2026 4th, 2028 3rd, Jonas Siegenthaler, Dawson Mercer, Erik Haula, Nolan Foote

Siegenthaler has real value — probably a bit less than Silayev, but still highly-regarded. Erik Haula, for his cap hit, probably provides something to the Canucks. He does have an M-NTC, so he’d have to either waive it or not have Vancouver on his list.

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There you have it: my best two attempts at a realistic off-season trade for Quinn Hughes — as realistic as it can be, at least. For Devils fans who think that my packages are an obscene amount of assets for two players, remember that this is the best defenseman in the NHL. For any Vancouver fans who somehow stumble onto this page, remember that your GM ruined any leverage you have and there’s no world in which you’re “winning” a Quinn Hughes trade.

Perhaps the Devils simply wait it out and stay put until Quinn becomes a free agent in 2027. In the meantime, though, I’m manifesting that this comes to fruition.