The Minnesota Wild went all-in on one of the NHL's best players in his prime, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the team. Vancouver Canucks in a blockbuster deal, their boldest move yet to end a decade-long streak of playoff series losses.
The teams announced the seismic move Friday night after the 2024 Norris Trophy winner as the league's top defenseman became the most talked about trade candidate over the past couple of weeks. Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, guard Zeev Buyum, forward Liam Ogren and a 2026 first-round draft pick to suddenly rebuild Vancouver and complete the deal.
The deal was the second big trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup finalist Edmonton finally made a goalie choice by acquiring Tristan Jarry from the Penguins.
Rossi (24), Ogren (21) and Buyum (20) fit the mold of the young talent the Canucks were expected to target if they were to trade Hughes. Rossi (2020), Ogren (2022) and Buyum (2024) were all first-round draft picks of the Wild.
“Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of good things for the Canucks,” Vancouver general manager Patrick Alwyn said. “Trading a player of his caliber was never an easy decision, but it was something we had to do to make our team better. We're thrilled to add a solid center in Marco, a good young blue liner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year's draft is strong, so getting a first-round pick was also an important part of this deal.”
There was no trade block protection in Hughes' current deal, which pays him an average of $7.85 million per year. Hughes, 26 years old and widely considered the best blue line player behind only Colorado's Cale Makar, is signed through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
The Wild won't be allowed to re-sign Hughes until July 1, and it's unclear whether he'll consider signing a new contract with them. There were many rumors around the league that Quinn wanted to play with his brothers Jack and Luke for the New Jersey Devils.
They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team either in February in Milan or in 2030. Wild general manager Bill Guerin leads USA Hockey's management team.
However, Hughes' long-term prospects may have to wait until next summer. The Wild are focused on challenging the top two teams ahead of them in the loaded Central Division, opponents who also have the two best records in the NHL: Colorado and Dallas.
The season-long celebration of the franchise's 25th anniversary would be much more meaningful if the Wild were finally able to make the playoffs after losing nine straight after a first-round win over St. Louis in 2015. The Wild have advanced past the second round only once in their history, when they were swept by Anaheim in the Western Conference finals in 2003.
Hughes is a significant upgrade to Minnesota's blue line, which is led by captain and 16-year veteran Jared Spurgeon, smooth-skating 14-year veteran Jonas Brodin and young stalwart Brock Faber. The emergence of rookie goaltender Jesper Wahlstedt this season gives the Wild a reliable tandem with Filip Gustafsson in goal, while star forward Kirill Kaprizov leads the attack after recently signing the richest contract in hockey history to stay in the Hockey State until 2034.
After a rocky start, the Wild are 14-3-2 since November 1st. They host Ottawa on Saturday and Boston on Sunday night, with the latter game likely to be a more realistic debut for Hughes.
Hughes has two goals, 21 assists and 32 blocks in 23 games this season for his last NHL Canucks. When Hughes won the Norris Trophy two seasons ago, he had 17 goals and 75 assists, a single-season record for a defenseman and the best of any blue liner in the league. Drafted seventh overall in 2018 out of Michigan, the Orlando, Florida native grew up in the Boston and Toronto areas while his hockey coach father moved around.
This was Hughes' third season as Vancouver's captain, and his sudden departure paves the way for more changes 11 months after JT Miller was traded to the New York Rangers and coach Rick Tocchet left.
“Given the circumstances surrounding JT and now Quinn, we are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota,” Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford said. “They will be a key part of the rebuild we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players, using this as a blueprint to become contenders sooner rather than later.”
