Days after first reporting that the New York Rangers would be interested in Quinn Hughes if the Vancouver Canucks made their captain available, Dave Pagnotta has now reinforced his original position.
The NHL insider initially linked the Rangers to Hughes on Monday.
“With all the attention on the New Jersey Devils and Quinn Hughes lately – and yes, the Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers have been lumped in there, too – another team to look out for is the New York Rangers,” Pagnotta wrote in The Fourth Period. “That would allocate a lot of dollars to their back end, but it wouldn’t shock me to see the Blueshirts taking a swing.”
When asked on the Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast by co-hosts Jonny Lazarus and Colby Cohen whether he wanted to walk back his comments, Pagnotta held firm. He stressed that he fully believes the Rangers have legitimate interest in the All-Star defenseman.
“Do I think it’s going to happen tomorrow? No. Do I think he’s going to be a New York Ranger? I don’t know yet. It’s still way too early in that process,” Pagnotta said. “But in terms of teams that I anticipate to be in the mix in a more serious rather than just poking around type of situation, I think the Rangers are going to be one of them with where they’re at, with the owner they’ve got, and with a clear lack of desire to go through a rebuild. I think the New York Rangers … are one of those teams that will try to step up to this.”
Pagnotta noted that nearly every general manager will at least check in with Canucks GM Patrik Allvin to determine whether Vancouver truly intends to move Hughes, the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner. Still, his larger point was that only a handful of teams can make a real push for the 26-year-old—and the Rangers, he says, are among that select group.
“I think this is a team that’s going to be interested in actually making an attempt to acquire him.”
NHL insider believes Rangers would love to ‘get their hands on Quinn Hughes’
The Canucks have spiraled for a second straight season, only two years removed from finishing atop the Pacific Division. After shipping J.T. Miller to the Rangers on Jan. 31 last season and missing the playoffs, Vancouver now sits at the bottom of the NHL standings (11-16-3) with the holiday break approaching. They’ve already indicated they’re open to discussing trades involving their pending free agents.
Hughes isn’t one of those expiring contracts, as he’s signed at a very reasonable $7.85 million annually through 2026-27. Even so, ongoing speculation about him eventually joining brothers Jack and Luke with the New Jersey Devils, paired with doubts he’ll commit long-term in Vancouver, has fueled talk that the Canucks may want to move on sooner rather than later—especially given their on-ice struggles.
Pierre LeBrun said on TSN this week that trading Hughes before the March 6 deadline likely maximizes the return. But it’s unclear whether the Rangers would be willing or able to make such a blockbuster move.
In the short term, adding Hughes could help cover for Adam Fox, who is on LTIR with an upper-body injury. Still, a trade of this magnitude won’t happen quickly, and Fox isn’t expected to miss extended time; he’s already skating on his own and missed his fifth straight game Wednesday when New York visited Chicago.
A Hughes acquisition would create a powerhouse top-four: Fox with Vladislav Gavrikov, and Hughes with Will Borgen. That pairing structure could be among the NHL’s best. But it also raises questions—would there be enough top-end minutes to keep both Fox and Hughes satisfied? And would placing so much cap space into three defensemen be wise?
Any deal would also likely cost New York significantly at forward, with players like Alexis Lafreniere and/or Gabe Perreault presumably part of the package.
Even so, the idea remains compelling and worth watching as the season progresses. Time will show whether Pagnotta’s confidence in the Rangers’ involvement holds true.
“I would not be surprised if they not just inquire, but take a swing and see if they can get their hands on Quinn Hughes.”