EDIT: He's not eligible for an offer sheet.
With Rutherford publicly stating that Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brother, let's assume that means VAN has at least some interest in possibly offer sheeting Luke Hughes, as there isn't a realistic other way of acquiring another Hughes brother. At the moment VAN does not have their 2026 3rd round pick, which they would need in order to realistically offer sheet Luke Hughes. So, to begin, we'll say that VAN reacquires their 3rd from CGY. Additionally, let's assume that VAN reacquiring their 3rd happens immediately before offer sheeting Luke Hughes, to minimize the warning that NJD has an offer sheet is incoming.
To CGY: VAN 2027 3rd + VAN 2026 4th
To VAN: VAN 2026 3rd
Now that VAN has their own 2026 3rd, they are able to offer sheet Luke Hughes, such that the compensation is VANs 2026 1st, and 2027 1st (unprotected), 2026 2nd, and 2026 3rd. This compensation tier would allow VAN to offer Luke Hughes a deal anywhere between $9,161,845 - $11,452,294 x 5 years. Due to the offer sheet compensation rules, any deal longer than 5 years is functionally off the table. Let's assume that VAN would have to make the deal as unappealing to NJD as possible, and as appealing to Luke Hughes as possible.
VAN Offer Sheet to Luke Hughes: $11,452,294 x 5 years, compensation: 2026 1st, 2027 1st, 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd.
Would Luke Hughes sign this offer sheet? Should VAN be willing to offer this, in order to entice Quinn to stay? Should NJD match, or take the picks and cap space?
I don't think anyone thinks Luke Hughes is the second best defenseman in the NHL, but is overpaying a #2/3 defenseman by $2M-$4M worse than having your #1 defenseman walk as a free agent? How much would VAN have to pay Quinn after paying Luke $11.4M, and could they build a competitive team paying two defensemen a combined $25M?
For the record, I don't think any of this is going to happen, it's just a fun thought experiment.
With Rutherford publicly stating that Quinn Hughes wants to play with his brother, let's assume that means VAN has at least some interest in possibly offer sheeting Luke Hughes, as there isn't a realistic other way of acquiring another Hughes brother. At the moment VAN does not have their 2026 3rd round pick, which they would need in order to realistically offer sheet Luke Hughes. So, to begin, we'll say that VAN reacquires their 3rd from CGY. Additionally, let's assume that VAN reacquiring their 3rd happens immediately before offer sheeting Luke Hughes, to minimize the warning that NJD has an offer sheet is incoming.
To CGY: VAN 2027 3rd + VAN 2026 4th
To VAN: VAN 2026 3rd
Now that VAN has their own 2026 3rd, they are able to offer sheet Luke Hughes, such that the compensation is VANs 2026 1st, and 2027 1st (unprotected), 2026 2nd, and 2026 3rd. This compensation tier would allow VAN to offer Luke Hughes a deal anywhere between $9,161,845 - $11,452,294 x 5 years. Due to the offer sheet compensation rules, any deal longer than 5 years is functionally off the table. Let's assume that VAN would have to make the deal as unappealing to NJD as possible, and as appealing to Luke Hughes as possible.
VAN Offer Sheet to Luke Hughes: $11,452,294 x 5 years, compensation: 2026 1st, 2027 1st, 2026 2nd, 2026 3rd.
Would Luke Hughes sign this offer sheet? Should VAN be willing to offer this, in order to entice Quinn to stay? Should NJD match, or take the picks and cap space?
I don't think anyone thinks Luke Hughes is the second best defenseman in the NHL, but is overpaying a #2/3 defenseman by $2M-$4M worse than having your #1 defenseman walk as a free agent? How much would VAN have to pay Quinn after paying Luke $11.4M, and could they build a competitive team paying two defensemen a combined $25M?
For the record, I don't think any of this is going to happen, it's just a fun thought experiment.
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