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  • Wild Acquire Quinn Hughes From Canucks In Shocking Blockbuster Trade

    Image courtesy of © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
    Thomas Williams

    By Thomas Williams -

    The Minnesota Wild have made the biggest trade in the NHL's modern era. They have acquired world-class defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks.

    Reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman first and then multiple other sources confirmed with more details, the Wild have moved several key pieces for the future to go all-in for at least the next couple of seasons with one of the best defensemen the world has seen in this century.

    To bring Hughes to St. Paul, the Wild reportedly sent top rookie defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi, young winger Liam Ohgren, and the 2026 first-round pick to the Canucks.

     

    Essentially, the Wild took a large chunk out of their future to commit themselves to this current team. Rossi is the oldest of the bunch at a ripe 24 years old and would've been top-of-the-lineup building blocks for the Wild, but have now been shipped to Vancouver to get one of the best talents the NHL has ever seen available via trade.

    But that's just focusing on what the Wild gave up.

    Quinn Hughes is, obviously, one of the best players in the world. Without him, the Canucks would be finishing at the bottom of the league for multiple years in a row and he instantly transforms any single team he is on into one that matters.

    The only downside of the Wild getting Hughes is his contract situation.

    The 26-year-old world-class blueliner is set to hit free agency in the summer of 2027 and unless general manager Bill Guerin and the Wild can convince Hughes that he actually doesn't want to go and play with his brothers in New Jersey and re-sign in Minnesota, the Wild will be getting a whole two playoff runs.

    It is a trade that is going to affect both organizations for decades to come and now the Wild have put a very small and ticking timer on their team to see if they can really make some more noise than they ever have in franchise history. It certainly is a whole lot easier with Quinn Hughes on your team compared to not.

    In 459 career NHL games, Hughes has scored 61 goals and 432 points while averaging 24:32 TOI.

    By Thomas Williams  

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    Pewterschmidt
    7 hours ago, Scalptrash said:

    Hughes won’t sign here, has already said he’s going to NJ.

    I would be ok with this deal if not for this reality.  I suspect this is why VAN was motivated. 

    Guerin has entered his Chuck Fletcher era

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    Imyourhuckleberry
    3 hours ago, Pablo said:

    Canuck fans are p oissed😂

    Not all of them. Quite a few are pleased. They were very far from contending with Hughes. Should improve Buium's chances at rookie of the year as his minutes will likely jump up a lot.

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    Pewterschmidt
    6 hours ago, raithis said:

    Stramel is now so done that needs to be what the Wild envision him to be.

    I googled Stramel highlights yesterday and it’s 9 min of second assists and goalie screens. He’s our Sturm replacement

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    Pewterschmidt
    6 hours ago, raithis said:

    The biggest disruption the the team at the moment is Buium, and Hughes is a significant upgrade.

    I think I agree with this. Like with khuz Guerin made his decision that there are enough concerns about Z’s defense that he was willing to cut bait for a proven offensive dman in Q

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    Pewterschmidt
    4 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I think I agree with this. Like with khuz Guerin made his decision that there are enough concerns about Z’s defense that he was willing to cut bait for a proven offensive dman in Q

    What does this say how much Guerin values brackett’s work?

    rossi 1st

    ogz 1st

    z boo 1st

    2025 1st (Jiri Project™️)

    2026 1st Q

    Khuz 2nd

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    IrritatedFan76

    Guerin just traded for another team’s captain, albeit a last place team, but a team at 11-17 had ample time to turn it around.  Hughes is big step up from Buium, and Zeev was playing solid Defense the last month. Rossi finally showed his worth= chum in a blockbuster trade. The verdict was still out on Ohgren, but in and out of the line up might be the best he ever is.  Last one to lock down a Hughes sweater at the Lodge is a rotten egg.   

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    Trade Deadline Hero
    11 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

    Where’d you come from nim rod? Guess you’re too smooth brained to realize we lost a really good center when we’re short on centers.

    Adequate? Yes. Improved? Yes. First line center that we desperately need? No. Rossi isn’t the type of player that’s going to entice major players to our team, which we need. I really doubt he’s going to shine as bright as you think he is. He will definitely have brief moments of brilliance but then go back to his old ways of “pretty good 2/3rd line”. We need more consistency. 
    Spurg is on his way to pasture, we are going to be desperate for more solid defense. Zeev is very good, but still finding his game. I’m not saying I think this deal was a steal for us, but my point was made perfectly by your response. Just remember that this is a safe place Mateo. You can cry. It’s ok. We all know how attached you were to Rossi. The boys and I are praying for you🙏🏻 . You’ll get through this. 

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    IrritatedFan76
    1 hour ago, Fezig said:

    I saw something similar to this in the 80's. I believe the fellow's name was Herschel Walker. Dallas is still thanking us.

    Big difference is Hughes is at the top of his game a Walker was holding on to one more season in the sun. Beg to differ, those Dallas championship years are LONG gone… the thank you notes have dried up a long time ago.

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    IrritatedFan76
    1 hour ago, Trade Deadline Hero said:

    Adequate? Yes. Improved? Yes. First line center that we desperately need? No. Rossi isn’t the type of player that’s going to entice major players to our team, which we need. I really doubt he’s going to shine as bright as you think he is. He will definitely have brief moments of brilliance but then go back to his old ways of “pretty good 2/3rd line”. We need more consistency. 
    Spurg is on his way to pasture, we are going to be desperate for more solid defense. Zeev is very good, but still finding his game. I’m not saying I think this deal was a steal for us, but my point was made perfectly by your response. Just remember that this is a safe place Mateo. You can cry. It’s ok. We all know how attached you were to Rossi. The boys and I are praying for you🙏🏻 . You’ll get through this. 

     

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    IrritatedFan76

    And the choir says “Amen!”.  I’ve been crowing this same thought since training camp. God love him, but we’re living in the Spurgeon end-times. Nothing lasts forever, even cold November rain.  Everyone wants to deuce on Guerin for the moves he’s made, but I’ll argue with anyone that denies that he’s got savvy in regards to team building and has done so with a dead-cap rock around his neck.  This team has a storied history of over-valuing players and in-turn, overpaying for them.  If anyone with a pulse was expecting Marco Rossi to put the team on his shoulders and deliver a conference or league championship, I’d tell you they were huffing gas…

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    Dango

    Being a GM in this league is like playing a game of chess you need to be able to see 3-4 moves ahead and for alot of us we have a hard time doing that, your playing chess and already know how youre going to steal my horsies im playing checkers and have my back row cemented in .

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    Pablo
    7 hours ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

    Not all of them. Quite a few are pleased. They were very far from contending with Hughes. Should improve Buium's chances at rookie of the year as his minutes will likely jump up a lot.

    True! Time will tell if he can lead their defense and quarterback a successful power play. 

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    Pablo
    7 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    What does this say how much Guerin values brackett’s work?

    rossi 1st

    ogz 1st

    z boo 1st

    2025 1st (Jiri Project™️)

    2026 1st Q

    Khuz 2nd

    Obviously a bidding war that BG wasn’t going to lose. Were any of those 4 assets going to win us a cup in 25 or 26? Maybe Buium would have had a big roll but Hughes replaces him and will out perform him anyhow. Rossi would have some roll but he is obviously replaceable. This trade is a huge win now. 

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    Pewterschmidt
    6 minutes ago, Pablo said:

    Obviously a bidding war that BG wasn’t going to lose. Were any of those 4 assets going to win us a cup in 25 or 26? Maybe Buium would have had a big roll but Hughes replaces him and will out perform him anyhow. Rossi would have some roll but he is obviously replaceable. This trade is a huge win now. 

    I agree that Hughes is a great add.  Overpay? Probably but Rossi is middling, ogz is a bottom six journeyman.  A late 1st is best case a middle 6’r with Judd at the wheel so no harm there.  Z boo is the wildcard.  He’s going to become a difference maker.  But Window 97™️ is NOW so I understand why Guerin justified the overpay

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    Pablo
    4 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    I agree that Hughes is a great add.  Overpay? Probably but Rossi is middling, ogz is a bottom six journeyman.  A late 1st is best case a middle 6’r with Judd at the wheel so no harm there.  Z boo is the wildcard.  He’s going to become a difference maker.  But Window 97™️ is NOW so I understand why Guerin justified the overpay

    Way better than letting the window close in 4 years with nothing more than lost opportunities and bad playoff losses. Even if Hughes walks in 2 years, the cap will have gone up and we can get a different high priced guy. Or he resigns. Or we trade him out for another superstar next season.  So many possibilities for later. Today, we are a better team. 

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    Imyourhuckleberry
    2 hours ago, IrritatedFan76 said:

    Big difference is Hughes is at the top of his game a Walker was holding on to one more season in the sun. Beg to differ, those Dallas championship years are LONG gone… the thank you notes have dried up a long time ago.

    Dallas won a majority of their Super Bowls due to that trade, and they haven't been close since 1995, so I imagine there are a couple generations of Dallas fans who are still thankful to the Vikings for that trade.

    I don't think the Wild traded quite that level to Vancouver, but it wouldn't shock me if Zeev Buium helps the Canucks hoist their first Stanley Cup. It will take a couple of Vancouver's own picks to hit(similar to the Dallas situation), but he could be part of a special team down the road.

    Buium was supposed to be a top 10 pick in a strong draft. Quinn Hughes was the 8th pick in a somewhat weaker draft. He is very quick and skilled, but I'll need to see how the Wild do with him. I wonder if the defense will get worse and the offense will produce more, with a modest net improvement.

    Just felt like the Wild needed another skilled forward A LOT more than they needed an offensive defenseman.

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