A day after the Minnesota Wild won the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun can confirm a number of other teams attempted to acquire the superstar defenceman from the Vancouver Canucks.
LeBrun reports the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers all made an effort to get Hughes, adding the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres were interested “to some degree.”
In the end, the Wild offered the best package, sending centre Marco Rossi, forward Liam Öhgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for the 26-year-old American.
Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy in 2024, has two goals and 21 assists over 26 games for the Canucks this season, who sit last in the NHL with a 11-17-3 record.
The Devils are probably the most interesting team in the group that made a run for Hughes, as their lineup features his brothers Jack and Luke.
Lalji: Hughes situation was hanging over Canucks organization; The trade ‘needed to happen’ While Quinn Hughes was a “transcendent player” for the Vancouver Canucks, TSN’s Farhan Lalji says it was unlikely he was going to re-sign with the organization, and that situation was hanging over everything. He joins SportsCentre to break down why he believes the trade “needed to happen.”
Hughes is currently in the fifth season of a six-year, $47.1 contract and is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season.
Over 459 career games with the Canucks, Hughes tallied 61 goals and 371 assists, including netting 92 points (17 goals and 75 assists) during the 2023-24 campaign.
He had two goals and 24 assists in 30 playoff games, making the postseason just twice in eight seasons with the Canucks.
Vancouver selected Hughes with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
