Inside Sources Reveal Why Quinn Hughes Trade Whispers Are Shrouded in Silence Across the NHL

When it comes to trade whispers in the NHL, few names spark as much hushed chatter as Quinn Hughes. Over on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas peeled back the curtain on the buzz swirling around Hughes—touching on the Vancouver Canucks, the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and the ever-tantalizing mysteries behind closed doors. You can practically feel the tension; it’s like everyone’s tiptoeing around a lit fuse, nervous that talking too much might send sparks flying. Trades involving a player of Hughes’ caliber aren’t just routine transactions—they’re seismic, with ripple effects that stretch far beyond the rink. And, oh boy, are the conversations fraught with careful language, subtle clues, and a dance of denials and acknowledgments. Vancouver’s refusal to openly engage adds fuel to the speculative fire, making the entire saga a thrilling, yet delicate drama unfolding in real-time. Curious to dive deeper into this intricate NHL trade saga? LEARN MORE

Are Quinn Hughes Trade Conversations Bad For Business

Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast discussed the Quinn Hughes conversations and trade talks that were brought up on Saturday Night surrounding the Vancouver Canucks, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and other teams.

NHLRumors.com Transcriptions

Friedman: “I’ll say this, people don’t want to talk about it in the league. They don’t want to talk about Quinn Hughes. And I think it’s because they know how big a deal it is. And so let me take everybody through it.

…

Now, at the end of all of this, I was asking, Okay, we know they like those guys. There’s got to be a Quinn Hughes component to this. And I got to tell you, Kyle, people don’t want to talk about it. They really don’t, because it’s such, it’s such a hand grenade for obvious reasons.”

Bukauskas: “Yeah, it’s like David Blaine’s escape routine.”

Friedman: “Exactly. I think that it’s, I mean, you saw how careful I was talking about it on Saturday night. But then Quinn Hughes refers to Tom Fitzgerald as Fitzy in the post-game. And people were like, he’s a Devil. He’s calling the GM by his nickname. I mean, we can all see this. Like it’s a big deal. And I think for a lot of people, it’s, it’s kryptonite. They don’t really want to pour gasoline on the fire.

But as I said, I think once the Canucks put the memo out, I think there was a conversation. And I don’t know who initiated it, and I don’t know exactly what was said, but I know they talked at least once. And I heard it was about, okay, where does everything stand, and where are we going?

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And, I did a podcast interview last week where I talked about Detroit. And I do believe that if Vancouver and Detroit wanted to make a deal, I do believe there is a deal to be made there, and I also think they’ve talked.

But I can tell you one team that absolutely does not want to talk about it, and that’s Vancouver. Like they out and out refused. And I understand, because it’s their backyard. It’s a very, very sensitive thing for them.

So I’ll say is this, I think there are talks going on around Hughes, and it’s just difficult to handicap how long it’s going to take or where it’s going to end up.

I’ll tell you this. The other thing Kyle, it’s really interesting, and I have not spoken to Hughes since we did the interview at the beginning of the season in the media tour in Vegas. There are a lot of people who like to debate whether or not he wants to play in New Jersey. Like, does he want to go there right now? Is it his preferred destination? How would it affect his brother, Luke, if Quinn’s there on the blue line, (Quinn) would be ahead of (Luke)?

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I don’t have an answer to this question, but I at the very least, I think the Canucks and the Devils wanted to try to find out the answer. So that’s where I think it is. I think that. I think teams are talking with the Canucks about it, and we’ll see where it goes.”

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