Quinn Hughes' Future Sparks Familiar Drama That Maple Leafs Fans Know Too Well

There has been some speculation over recent weeks that Quinn Hughes' future in Vancouver might be in doubt. The captain and superstar defenseman is part of a trio of brothers that include New Jersey's Jack and Luke Hughes.

It was rumored that the Devils were going to be serious players to bring him in to play alongside his brothers, and the team certainly has the assets to move in order bring him in.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the rumors surrounding Hughes and the Canucks' tandem are still heated, and are expected to be a season-long storyline with New Jersey still nipping at their heels:

There's also a chance that the Canucks shock people and end up keeping him around, but for James Mirtle, that's a lot to ask:

It's not surprising to see the Devils go all-in for Hughes, and would instantly turn them into Metropolitan Division favorites. We could see players like Dougie Hamilton or Simon Nemec dealt the other way as a start (both men are linked in trade rumors with the latter unhappy with his role).

There is also a chance someone like Dawson Mercer heads the other way as he would give the Canucks that 2C they covet, although they would love to ensure they also bring back some type of offensive player on the back end.

But this story is something that Maple Leafs fans are all too familiar with, as it feels eerily similar to the Mitch Marner saga that started last year.

The whole season was a will he or won't he re-sign soap opera that ended with Marner being moved for Nic Roy; a great trade only in the sense at least Toronto got something back for him.

Hughes is a cornerstone of the offense for the Canucks, much like Marner was for the Maple Leafs, and much like Toronto it feels like Vancouver has been spinning their wheels in recent years, and have dealt with a lot of internal turmoil.

So Hughes might not want to deal with the pressure of needing to help carry an entire team (a potentially directionless one) and the acquisition of Evander Kane and bringing Brock Boeser back might not even be enough to keep him around.

We all know how the Marner situation ended up, and GM Patrik Allvin should take a long hard look at how the Maple Leafs handled things.

He might be in the same situation very, very shortly.