The Canucks will receive centre Marco Rossi, defenceman Zeev Buium, forward prospect Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick from the Wild.
“We would like to thank Quinn for his time with the Vancouver Canucks,” said president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford in a statement. “Quinn is a great person, a great player, and one of the greatest Canucks of all time. With the circumstances surrounding J.T. (Miller) and now Quinn, 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 trade marks the end of an era for the Canucks as they part with one of the best players in franchise history. A perennial Norris Trophy finalist, winning the award in 2024, Hughes has been everything to the Canucks during his eight NHL seasons.
The Canucks, though, have signalled in recent weeks that a rebuild was coming after a slow start to the season that has left them last in the NHL with an 11-17-3 record. While the initial reports were that the Canucks were seeking to move veterans on expiring contracts, talk of Hughes quickly picked up as the most likely piece to bring in a big trade haul in return. By acquiring three recent first-round picks in Rossi, Buium and Ohgren, that goal seems to have been met.
Hughes, 26, has 23 points in 26 games this season and 432 points in 459 career games. He is the highest-scoring defenceman in Canucks history. The Canucks have not been able to build a consistent winner around Hughes, however, making the playoffs only twice in his career.
Now Hughes joins a surging Wild team chasing the NHL’s two top teams, the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, in a top-heavy Central Division race. The Wild, who have not won a playoff series in a decade, now add Hughes to their blue line for two potential runs at the Stanley Cup before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027. He pairs with winger Kirill Kaprizov, who will become the highest-paid player in the NHL next season, to give the Wild two of the top offensive stars in the league.
The Wild can’t begin contract talks with Hughes until July 1, but will be able to offer him an eight-year extension this summer before new CBA rules limit the max term on contracts to seven beginning this September.
Rossi, 24, is the most experienced player returning to the Canucks in the trade. A five-year veteran, he will slot in as the team’s No. 2 centre behind Elias Pettersson. Rossi has twice hit the 20-goal mark in his five-year career, and has 13 points in 17 games this season. He has been out of the lineup since mid-November with a lower-body injury but is reportedly nearing a return to game action.
Buium, who turned 20 last week, is in his rookie season after being the 12th overall pick in 2024. He has 14 points in 31 games this season, after being a Hobey Baker finalist while skating for the University of Denver last year.
Ohgren, 21, was the 19th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. He has split time between the NHL and AHL this season, going pointless in 18 NHL games this season and scoring five points in nine games with the Iowa Wild.
