Canucks trade Quinn Hughes to Wild

The Canucks will receive centre Marco Rossi, defenceman Zeev Buium, forward prospect Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick from the Wild.

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 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.

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.