Hughes traded to Wild by Canucks

Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild by the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.

Vancouver received forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

“We would like to thank Quinn for his time with the Vancouver Canucks,” said Jim Rutherford, Vancouver's president of hockey operations. “Quinn is a great person, a great player, and one of the greatest Canucks of all time. ... We are fortunate to acquire these very good young players from Minnesota. They will be a key part of the rebuild that we are currently in, giving us a bright future moving forward. The hockey club will continue to build with talented young players using that as a blueprint to become a contender sooner rather than later.”

The 26-year-old defenseman and Vancouver captain was in his eighth season with the Canucks after being selected by them in the first round (No. 7) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He is in the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) he signed on Oct. 3, 2021, and can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season.

Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman for the 2023-24 season after posting career highs with 92 points, 17 goals, and 75 assists. He was also a finalist for the award last season, when he had 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists).

He was one of the first six players named to the United States roster for the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026.

In 459 games, Hughes has 432 points (61 goals, 371 assists), the most by a defenseman in Vancouver franchise history, and 26 points (two goals, 24 assists) in 30 Stanley Cup Playoff games. He has 23 points (two goals, 21 assists) in 26 games this season, leading the Canucks at the time of the trade.

The Canucks are 11-17-3 and in eighth place in the Pacific Division, eight points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference under first-year coach Adam Foote.

After winning the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record in Hughes' Norris-winning season of 2023-24 and reaching the Western Conference Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs under then-coach Rick Tocchet, the Canucks slipped to 38-30-14 in 2024-25 and missed the playoffs, finishing six points out of a wild-card spot.

“Like Jim, I would also like to thank Quinn for everything he has done in Vancouver,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said. “Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks. Trading away a player of this caliber is never an easy decision to make, but it was one we had to do to make our team better. We are so excited to add a solid center in Marco, a good young blueliner in Zeev and a versatile forward in Liam. This year’s draft is a strong one so acquiring a first-round pick was also a big part of this deal.”

Rossi, 24, a first-round pick (No. 9) by Minnesota in the 2020 NHL Draft, has 114 points (49 goals, 65 assists) in 202 games for the Wild, including 13 points (four goals, nine assists) this season. He signed a three-year, $15 million contract ($5 million AAV) with the Wild on Aug. 22, 2025 and can become a restricted free agent after the 2027-28 season.

Buium, 20, a first-round pick (No. 12) by Minnesota in the 2024 NHL Draft, is in his first NHL season, with 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in 31 games. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on April 13, 2025.

Buium and Rossi were Minnesota's sixth- and seventh-leading scorers this season at the time of the trade.

Ohgren, 21, a first-round pick (No. 19) by Minnesota in the 2022 NHL Draft, has seven points (three goals, four assists) in 46 games for the Wild but has no points in 18 games this season. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract on July 16, 2022.

The Wild (17-9-5) are third in the Central Division. After beginning the season 3-6-3 through Oct. 30, they have gone 14-3-2 in their past 19 games.