Canucks president Jim Rutherford offers insight on $47,100,000 star's next mega contract extension

The Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations, Jim Rutherford, acknowledged that the club will do everything in its power to keep star defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Hughes’ six-year contract worth $47,100,000 ends after the 2026-27 season and the 25-year-old Canucks captain could become an unrestricted free agent.

When Rutherford was asked about a contract extension for Hughes and if the team could ever bounce back if it were to lose the star defenseman, the Canucks president admitted that they can’t afford to lose Hughes.

CanucksArmy posted Rutherford’s response on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

“The one thing that we will be sure of [is] that we will have enough cap space to offer him the kind of contract that he deserves, that's the one thing we can prepare for,” Rutherford said. “This franchise cannot afford to lose a guy like Quinn Hughes, and we will do everything we can to keep him here but [at] the end of the day, it'll be his decision.”

Rutherford acknowledged that money may not be Hughes's only motivating factor. He has expressed interest in playing with his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, who both play for the New Jersey Devils.

“And it may not boil down to money with him,” Rutherford said. “You know, he said before, he wants to play with his brothers, and that would be partly out of our control. In our control, if we brought his brothers here. So, there's many moving parts here.”

Hughes was drafted with the seventh overall pick by the Canucks in 2018, and the Florida native has steadily become the face of the franchise.

2024 NHL Awards Show - Source: Getty

He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2023-24 after leading all defensemen in the league with 92 points while playing all 82 games. He became the first player in Canucks history to take home the award.

Despite suiting up 68 games this season due to dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury, he still ranked third among all defensemen in the NHL with 76 points, which was also good for first among all skaters on the Canucks.

Luke, Quinn, and Jack Hughes. New Jersey Devils vs. Vancouver Canucks - Source: Getty

Jack Hughes, 23, was drafted first overall by the Devils in 2019, and the center has racked up 351 points (141 goals, 210 assists) through 368 games with the club. Luke Hughes, 21, is a defenseman who was drafted with the fourth overall pick by New Jersey in 2021.

All three brothers played in the same NHL game on Dec. 5, 2023, with the Devils defeating the Canucks 6-5.

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Quinn Hughes and his brothers make EA SPORTS NHL 2025 cover

Brothers Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes were selected to be on the cover of the EA Sports NHL 25 video game that was released in October 2024.

"We feel incredibly honored to be on the cover of NHL 25," Quinn said, according to NHL.com. "Being featured alongside my brothers is the sort of thing you dream about as a kid but could never imagine happening in real life."

The trio of brothers, who are known for their skating abilities and high hockey IQs, became the first siblings to be featured on the cover together.