The Vancouver Canucks season is getting late early, and management’s memo that all veteran players are available on the trade market doesn’t appear to have sparked the team’s winning streak. As they continue to lose and fall further in the standings, currently 30th in the league, the noise surrounding Quinn Hughes’ future is getting louder, and at this point, barring a drastic turnaround, it won’t go away.
His connection to the New Jersey Devils will never go away either, but lately we’ve heard about the Philadelphia Flyers and Detroit Red Wings, among others, who could put in their chips to acquire the superstar defenseman if Vancouver decides to move him.
Another team loosely speculated as a landing spot for Hughes is the Maple Leafs, and in a recent article for Olympics.com, the Orlando, Florida, native spoke highly of his time growing up in Toronto, which he called the Mecca of hockey.
said Hughes:
“We kind of grew up in Toronto. I was there from age 8 to 15 because of my dad’s job, which I feel really blessed because it’s kind of a Mecca of hockey and it was fun growing up there. I remember playing mini sticks… and we were watching Hockey Night in Canada, and Don Cherry was there,”
High praise from the 26-year-old, who as we all know is in the fifth season of the six-year, $47.1 million extension he signed with the Canucks in 2021, with the potential to hit free agency after the 2026-27 season.
The Maple Leafs should definitely target Quinn Hughes
Whether we should connect the dots to connect Hughes to Toronto based on these comments is questionable, but what shouldn’t be up for debate is whether the Maple Leafs should pursue the Canucks superstar.
Despite a rough start to the season, Toronto has started to right the ship of late, now just four points out of a playoff spot, thanks in large part to the play of Joseph Woll upon returning from personal leave.
Many were skeptical about the Maple Leafs coming in with a huge package for Hughes given how poorly they played, but we’ve now seen more of what was expected this season, so making the playoffs should undoubtedly be the expectation going forward.
This team is in win-now mode, with their best players having only so many prime years left; it’s time to go all in. If they need anything, it’s a boost on the blue line, especially a dynamic puck mover who can run the power play and be their number one defender. There is perhaps only one other player in the world who can do that as well as Hughes.
It’s often said that a team led by Auston Matthews or William Nylander can’t get it done in the playoffs, but what about a team led by Hughes, Matthews and Nylander? That would be a different story, and the Maple Leafs need to explore what it would take to make that happen.
Next: Will William Nylander play through injury?
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