New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes made it clear he wants to play with his brother, Quinn Hughes.

"I'm not afraid to say it," Hughes told The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy and reporters at the NHL's player media tour in Vegas on Tuesday.

"I would love for Quinn to, you know, eventually I'd love to play with him, and whether that's in New Jersey or at what time that takes, at some point, I want to play with Quinn."

The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun asked the question amid an off-season full of speculation about Quinn Hughes' future with the Vancouver Canucks.

In late April, Canucks hockey operations president Jim Rutherford told reporters he believes Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes, which might be out of the team's control when his contract expires at the end of the 2026-27 season. Rutherford then suggested it would be in their control if the Canucks acquired Jack and Luke Hughes from the Devils, but he later said he wasn't being totally serious about it.

Jack Hughes said playing with Quinn is the headline question these days.

"That's like the question going around, and they talk all day about it up in Vancouver," Hughes said. "But yeah, I'd love to play with Quinn at some point."

Quinn Hughes is in the fifth season of a six-year contract with the Canucks, carrying a $7.85-million cap hit. He's expected to receive a massive raise after winning the Norris Trophy in 2024 and averaging more than a point per game in the last three seasons combined.

Jack Hughes has five years left on his contract worth $8 million annually, and he would be a UFA in 2030. He put up 70 points in 62 games last season before suffering a shoulder injury. Luke Hughes is an RFA on the Devils awaiting a new contract, but his first year of UFA eligibility is in 2030.

Depending on when Luke's next deal expires, the Hughes brothers could all be UFAs at some point between 2027 and 2030.

That means the scenario of Jack and Quinn Hughes, or potentially all three brothers, playing together in the NHL at some point isn't virtually impossible, as long as a team has enough salary cap space to have each player on its roster feasibly.

That said, Jack Hughes could play with Quinn Hughes on a team that's not worried about cap hit: Team USA at the 2026 Olympics.

Quinn Hughes was one of the first six players named to the American men's squad, while Jack Hughes is projected to claim one of the final roster spots after playing at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The brothers didn't end up playing together at the 4 Nations Face-Off after Quinn Hughes suffered an injury before the tournament. The Americans lost to Team Canada in the final in double-overtime.

"I haven't gotten a chance to play with him in a long time, so I'd be really looking forward to that opportunity," Jack Hughes said.

Whether Luke Hughes will make it to Team USA in Italy in 2026 is a different question. He wasn't on the 4 Nations squad but did attend USA Hockey's Olympic orientation camp in late August. In 71 games last season, he had 44 points, which were the eighth-most among American NHL defensemen.

Jack Hughes said he isn't in the war room, so he's not sure what's being said about brother Luke, but there are so many players who deserve to be considered.

"With Luke, with where Luke's at, he's got his name in contention, and that's a good start," Hughes said. "And then he's just got to have a really good first three months going into the new year, but he's got himself in the right spot now."

The 4 Nations featured high intensity between the Canadians and Americans, especially when three fights at the beginning of their round-robin meetup captured the attention of the hockey world and beyond. Hughes thinks the pace of play and skill will be the exact same at the Olympics – minus the fights.

"Once you see the level of competition at the 4 Nations, you're so hungry to get back to that," Hughes said. "And you want to be in the Olympics so bad, just because the level of hockey is so high."

All that said, expect Jack Hughes to eventually play with Quinn Hughes within the next six months – on Team USA. As for being NHL teammates, the desire is there, at least.

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