NHL Trades and Rumors
Quinn Hughes Trade Talk Takes Surprising Twist, Insider Puts Penguins in the Mix
The Quinn Hughes sweepstakes could take a surprising twist, as Elliotte Friedman has named the Pittsburgh Penguins as a suitor.
If you can believe it, the trade chatter around Quinn Hughes has somehow ratcheted up a notch over the last few days. It’s gone from if the Vancouver Canucks will move their captain, to they’ve started talking to the New Jersey Devils about what a potential deal would look like.
Those aforementioned Devils will understandably be the frontrunners in the Hughes sweepstakes until a trade is officially made. However, given their salary cap constraints and the potential that another team offers up a stronger package in return, it’s far from a guarantee that Vancouver just sends him to New Jersey no matter what.
With that in mind, everyone has been speculating about other landing spots for the superstar defenseman, and on Monday, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman dropped a surprising option: the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“You know, I’ll tell you this, nobody’s talked about them yet, but who I think could do it is Pittsburgh… Like, think about it, look at them. Would he want to do that? I have no idea. But I was sitting down the other day, and I was going through my list of teams and who would have pieces that Vancouver might want, and again, I don’t know what he wants to do, but Pittsburgh was a team, like they’re not incapable of doing this,”
The 26-year-old Hughes is in the fifth season of the six-year, $47.1 million extension he signed with the Canucks in 2021, which expires after the 2026-27 campaign.
What Do the Penguins Have to Offer For Quinn Hughes?
Once the initial shock of hearing the rebuilding Penguins being a landing spot for Hughes wears off, it does make sense for Friedman to wonder about them.
Kyle Dubas has loaded up on draft picks and prospects in recent years, and quite honestly, has the most stocked-up cupboard of any team in the NHL.
Combine those picks with their much-improved prospect pool that includes the likes of Ben Kindel, Rutger McGroarty, Will Horcoff, Harrison Brunicke, and Ville Koivunen, and this becomes a real possibility.
It’s extremely hard to imagine Pittsburgh would be willing to part with Kindel, who’s been outstanding as an 18-year-old rookie, though everything else should be on the table for a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman right in the middle of his prime.
Dubas has said his goal is to retool and then add to help get the Penguins back into contention while Sidney Crosby is still around, and trading for Hughes would certainly line up with that sentiment.
Next: Penguins News and Rumors: Jarry-Oilers Latest, Malkin Injury, Prospect Update
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