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12/12 19:52 CST Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster NHL
trade
Wild acquire Quinn Hughes from the Canucks in a blockbuster NHL trade
By STEPHEN WHYNO
AP Hockey Writer
The Minnesota Wild have acquired Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in the
biggest blockbuster trade of the NHL season.
The teams announced the seismic move Friday night, after the 2024 Norris Trophy
winner as the league's top defenseman had been the most talked-about trade
candidate over the past couple of weeks.
Minnesota sent center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger Liam Ohgren
and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft to suddenly rebounding Vancouver to
complete the deal. Rossi at 24, Ohgren at 21 and Buium at 20 fit the young
players the Canucks were speculated to be targeting if they were to trade
Hughes.
"Quinn played hard, led by example and did a lot of very good things for the
Canucks," Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. "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 centre 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."
Hughes, only 26 and considered the best at player at the position behind
Colorado's Cale Makar, has one season left on his contract after this one
before he can become an unrestricted free agent. There has been plenty of buzz
around Quinn wanting to play with brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey
Devils.
They could potentially be teammates on the U.S. Olympic team, either in
February in Milan or in 2030. Wild GM Bill Guerin runs USA Hockey's management
team.
Hughes has two goals and 21 assists for 23 points in 23 games this season with
the last-in-the-NHL Canucks. He has been their captain since 2023, and his
abrupt exit paves the way for more change in Vancouver 11 months since the
trade of J.T. Miller to the New York Rangers and in the aftermath of coach Rick
Tocchet's departure.
"With 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
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."
Minnesota cannot extend Hughes until July 1, and it's unclear if he would
entertain signing another contract. He had nothing in the way of trade
protection on his current deal, paying him an average of $7.85 million
annually, that would have allowed him to block a trade anywhere.
The Wild are taking a shot at challenging the two top teams in the NHL,
Colorado and Dallas, in the Central Division, which also includes reigning
Presidents' Trophy-winning Winnipeg. Hughes vastly upgrades their blue line,
which already included captain Jared Spurgeon and smooth-skating Swede Jonas
Brodin. Winger Kirill Kaprizov only this past fall signed the richest deal in
hockey history to stay in the "State of Hockey" for eight more years.
It was the second major trade of the day after two-time Stanley Cup Final
runner-up Edmonton finally made a move for a goaltender, acquiring Tristan
Jarry from Pittsburgh.
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AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
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