The Vancouver Canucks are coming off a might disappointing season. They missed the playoffs after winning the Pacific Division regular season title just the year before. During the 2024-25 NHL season, we saw J.T. Miller of East Palestine, Ohio (the Canucks leading scorer from the 2023-24 season) be traded to the New York Rangers. It is clear Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin is not afraid to make a deal.
Two players who could be in the mix are Cal Foote and Luke Hughes. Foote and Hughes have familial connections to the Canucks organization already. Cal Foote is the son of Canucks head coach Adam Foote and Luke Hughes is the brother of Canucks star defenseman Quinn Hughes. After Miller led the Canucks in scoring in 2023-24, Quinn Hughes led the Canucks in scoring in 2024-25, as he had 76 points (16 goals and 60 assists). However, Quinn Hughes had 16 fewer point in 2024-25, than he did in 2023-24 when he had an impressive 92 points.
Issue around Cal Foote
It is unlikely we will see Cal Foote in the NHL anytime soon. That is because he is one of the five players acquitted from the high profile summer sexual assault case in London, Ontario. Even though Foote was found not guilty, he has not yet been cleared to play in the NHL again. A dual citizen, Cal Foote was born in Denver while his father played for the Colorado Avalanche.
Cal Foote’s NHL stats
Due to his legal problems, Cal Foote has not played in the NHL since the 2023-24 season when he was a blueliner for the New Jersey Devils. Prior to that he spent three seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and one season with the Nashville Predators.
In 2023-24 with the Devils, Foote had one assist for one point in four games. He was a +3 with 16 penalty minutes. nine blocked shots and three hits. The assist came in a 4-1 Devils win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on January 19, 2024. Foote set up Alexander Holtz at 8:40 of the second period. The Devils went up 2-1 at the time.
Luke Hughes’s situation and NHL stats
Luke Hughes of Manchester, New Hampshire is expected to stay in New Jersey where his brother Jack is also a Devil. However, Luke Hughes has not been able to come to terms on a contract extension with the Devils. He was reportedly looking for a five-year-deal, while Devils management is looking for a three or eight year deal.
In 2024-25, Luke Hughes had seven goals and 37 assists for 44 points in 71 games. He was a -9 with 16 penalty minutes, one game-winning goal, 16 power-play points, 121 shots on goal, 60 blocked shots, 19 hits, 33 takeaways, and 86 giveaways. Hughes’s game-winning goal came on December 27 in a 4-2 Devils win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Hughes scored from defenseman Brett Pesce of Tarrytown, New York and Jesper Bratt of Stockholm, Sweden, which put the Hurricanes up 3-2 at 4:15 of the second period.
Update: Hughes signed a seven-year contract worth $63 million on October 1.
