Trade grades: Wild instantly become Cup contenders, Canucks score quantity

The winner of the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes is ... the Minnesota Wild?

Hughes' tenure with the Vancouver Canucks came to a stunning, unexpected end Friday night as Minnesota came out of left field to land the defenseman.

It took a hefty package to get the deal done. The Wild sent three young NHLers - forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, plus blue-liner Zeev Buium - to the Canucks, as well as a 2026 first-round selection.

Let's break it all down.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild are one of a few NHL teams who most years are just kind of there. Good enough to sneak into the playoffs but without any real recent success. No series wins in a decade, no conference final appearances since 2003, and no Stanley Cup Final, period.

And, until recently, before the tantalizing Kirill Kaprizov burst onto the scene, the Wild were also the rare club to never have a top 10 player in the league.

Well, Minnesota now has arguably two top 10 players as part of its most talented roster in franchise history, with Hughes joining an enviable core of Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, and Jesper Wallstedt. Acquiring Hughes is a seismic transaction from a team not previously linked to the player that also currently holds the third seed in the Central Division with a 17-9-5 record.

The trade alters the power dynamics in the Central, Western Conference, and league at large. Minnesota's stock immediately jumps from dark horse Cup threat to inner-circle contender. Hughes, the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, controls the game in a way few can through elite hockey sense, skating, and playmaking. Players of his caliber - a legitimate superstar at a premium position - are almost never available, especially on the trade market.

General manager Bill Guerin was able to complete this trade because he and his staff have drafted and developed exceptionally well. Rossi was drafted ninth overall in 2020, Ohgren was selected 19th in 2022, Buium went 12th in 2024, and each has either lived up to or exceeded expectations. There aren't many GMs capable of offering a package with that much youth and name value - to say nothing of the 2026 first-round pick - and who knows if anybody but Guerin would pull the trigger. This is the epitome of a "win-now" trade.

Hughes' contract expires after the 2026-27 season, so it's possible the Wild have him for only two playoff runs. Then again, why count out an extension? There are worse places to play and Guerin and Hughes know each other through various USA Hockey events. With the new collective bargaining agreement fully kicking in next September, Minnesota can offer something no other club can: a front-loaded, bonus-heavy, eight-year monster contract. And this is a team that is unafraid to pay up to retain stars (see: Kaprizov).

Even if Hughes leaves in 2027, perhaps to compete alongside his brothers in New Jersey, this trade is worth making 10 times out of 10. The Wild's foundation is strong enough to get the most out of the Hughes experience, and while they'll miss Rossi, Ohgren, and Buium, you have to seize the moment at some point. You have to throw caution to the wind and acquire a special player who'll help you challenge for the Cup. You have to make the once-in-a-lifetime trade.

Grade: A

Vancouver Canucks

President Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin just traded the greatest defenseman - perhaps player - in Canucks history. Hughes is by far the best skater in this swap, and the team that moves the top player usually loses the trade down the road.

There's no way around the facts above, or the sinking feeling that the entire situation - of Hughes being on the block in the first place - could've been avoided if ownership and management stuck to one strategic long-term plan.

At any rate, it's the end of an era. Hughes' Canucks, featuring Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller, Bo Horvat, Thatcher Demko, and many others, won two playoff series between 2019-20 and 2024-25. That's it.

As for what's arriving from Minnesota: there's ample hope to latch onto if this trade is indeed step one of a multi-year rebuild.

Buium, who's in the second year of his entry-level contract, is the crown jewel. He might one day blossom into a first-pair defenseman capable of running a high-end power play - or, basically, a poor man's Hughes.

Rossi, currently in the middle of the first season of a three-year, $15-million deal, is a small-statured center. The Canucks are desperate for young centers and Rossi's a decent start as a 24-year-old with a 60-point season on his resume.

Ohgren, also in the second year of his ELC, has failed to record a point in 18 games this season. He does have top-six upside as a high-motor, two-way winger with special teams utility, though. He certainly qualifies as the deal's sweetener.

Toss in the 2026 first-rounder, which will likely be in the 20-30 range, and the Canucks have added three long-term core pieces and will have a pretty good opportunity to find a fourth at the draft. In other words, quantity over quality.

It's impossible to know how outrageous the packages from rival teams would've gotten ahead of the trade deadline. What Vancouver reeled in from the Wild is in the ballpark of a best-case scenario given Hughes' uncertain future.

Grade: B-

Reaction from across the league

theScore asked people around the league for their two cents. A few answers:

NHL head coach: "Win-win. Vancouver gets a haul of young players. I am not stamping any of them (as impact players), but they have a chance. And (the Canucks) need players. Minny gets a Norris candidate, and those kind of players are scary to give up. Minny takes a little player depth hit, and Vancouver - who needs the depth - gains it. Verdict: good hockey trade."

NHL assistant GM: "Very surprising since you were hearing all about New Jersey and Detroit and just felt he was going East. But Vancouver got a good return. I'm a big Buium fan and Rossi has already proven to be a 25-goal and 60-point guy.

"Trade will really be judged on who the first-round pick turns out to be and if Minny re-signs Hughes. If they just get him for a year and a half, that's a lot to give up. But if they re-sign him, they are getting arguably the second-best offensive defenseman in the NHL behind Makar."

Longtime member of an NHL team's front office: "It's a really interesting trade. For Minnesota, they do a good job of taking a swing at another core piece. Kaprizov, Boldy, Hughes, Faber, and Wallstedt all in a (multi-year) window is pretty good. Will be interesting to see them trying to win without a (proven) center.

"Tough for Vancouver when you know you are going to be trading the best player in the deal. They certainly did a good job of grabbing some nice young pieces and adding to the depth of their organization. They arguably don't have any core players now, though Buium could become pretty good. They have been caught in between trying to compete (and trying to retool or rebuild) so where does this leave them now?"