Canucks trade Hughes to Wild in blockbuster

The Vancouver Canucks traded superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Friday.

The Canucks received forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium, and the Wild's 2026 first-round pick.

Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, has 23 points in 26 games this season. He's under contract through the 2026-27 campaign at a $7.85-million cap hit and has no trade protection.

The 26-year-old is the Canucks' franchise leader in points among defensemen. Hughes has 432 points in 459 career games. He notched a career-high 17 goals and 92 points in his Norris Trophy campaign in 2023-24. Only Colorado Avalanche star Cale Makar has more points among blue-liners since 2021.

"Quinn played hard, led by example, and did a lot of very good things for the Canucks," Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. "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."

Hughes was one of six initial players named to USA's Olympic roster in June. Wild GM Bill Guerin holds the same role for Team USA.

Vancouver sits last in the NHL with an 11-17-3 record through 31 games. Speculation around Hughes' future picked up after the New Jersey Devils reportedly touched base with the Canucks about the blue-liner. Hughes' younger brothers, Jack and Luke, both play for New Jersey.

The Devils felt they made a strong first offer to Vancouver for Hughes before losing out to Minnesota in the sweepstakes, reports TSN's Pierre LeBrun. The Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Buffalo Sabres also reportedly inquired.

Canucks head coach Adam Foote admitted Wednesday that the growing noise around Hughes' future affected the locker room.

Hughes isn't eligible to sign an extension until July 1. He can ink an eight-year contract with a front-loaded signing bonus structure until Sept. 15, when the new collective bargaining agreement rules kick in. The new CBA limits contracts to a maximum of seven years and lowers the maximum percentage of signing bonuses.

The Wild haven't been given any assurances that Hughes will sign an extension, sources told The Athletic's Michael Russo.

Rossi, drafted ninth overall by Minnesota in 2020, has four goals and 13 points through 17 contests. He's signed through 2027-28 at a $5-million cap hit.

Drafted by Minnesota with the 12th overall pick in 2024, Buium recorded 14 points through 31 games with the Wild this season after two excellent seasons at the University of Denver.

Ohgren was selected by the Wild with the 19th overall pick in 2022 and has yet to score a point this NHL season in 18 contests.