While New Jersey fans dream of a triple-threat Hughes reunion, Jack acknowledges that salary cap hurdles and Quinn’s superstardom make uniting the three brothers a complex reality.
For all the speculation surrounding Quinn Hughes potentially joining his brothers in New Jersey someday, Jack Hughes doesn’t make it sound quite as simple as putting the three brothers in Devils jerseys.
Jack spoke with reporters on Wednesday at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, just hours before Quinn was scheduled to have his own media availability.
Naturally, the possibility of the three Hughes brothers eventually playing together came up.
Jack was asked whether seeing Matthew and Brady Tkachuk now playing together created any envy or made him and Luke want Quinn to join them even more.
“No, not at all because there’s so much that goes into play, right?” Jack said to Matt Larkin. “Brady’s making $8.1 [million]. I mean, that’s a much easier contract to move. Me and Luke are playing together. Matthew and Brady are now playing together. It’s much easier for two brothers to play together than three.
“And then on top of that, Quinn is one of the best players in the league and has a huge deal that’s going to be coming. Yeah, I’m happy for Matthew and Brady because I know how much fun they’ll have because I get to do that with Luke, and I’m excited for them.”
It’s a noteworthy answer considering how much speculation has surrounded Quinn’s future with the Minnesota Wild.
Jack and Luke already play together in New Jersey, and Jack has made no secret in the past about wanting to play with his older brother someday. That has helped fuel speculation that Quinn could eventually find his way to the Devils.
But Jack acknowledged Wednesday that getting all three brothers together is much more complicated than simply wanting it to happen.
Quinn is also approaching what could be one of the richest contracts in NHL history.
The Wild have made signing the star defenseman to a long-term extension their top priority, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement. Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent following the 2026-27 season if he doesn’t sign an extension.
Jack was also asked Wednesday whether winning together at the Olympics increased the brothers’ desire to eventually play together in the NHL.
“Yeah, I think that, you know, we’ve always wanted to play with each other,” Jack said from Dan Rosen's tweet. “Winning in Milan was an unbelievable feat that we could do together, but I don’t think he’s going to sacrifice what’s best for him for us to play together. I mean, we’ll see. We’ll see what he does.”
That may be the most notable part of Jack’s comments from a Wild perspective.
He didn’t dismiss the brothers’ desire to play together. In fact, he reiterated it. But he also made it clear that he doesn’t expect Quinn to base one of the biggest decisions of his career solely around making that happen.
For Minnesota, that’s an important distinction.
The idea of Quinn eventually leaving Minnesota to join Jack and Luke in New Jersey has been one of the biggest outside narratives surrounding his future. Jack’s comments Wednesday don’t eliminate that possibility, but they do provide a more complicated picture than the idea that Quinn is simply waiting for an opportunity to join his brothers.
And now, Quinn gets to speak for himself.
Hughes is scheduled to meet with reporters later Wednesday in Las Vegas, where his future with the Wild and the status of contract negotiations are certain to be among the biggest topics.
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