The Vancouver Canucks [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks] traded superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/latest-news/breaking-wild-acquire-quinn-hughes-from-vancouver-sending-marco-rossi-zeev-buium-plus-more]in a blockbuster deal on Friday. With Hughes going to the Wild, the Canucks receive a first-round pick in 2026, in addition to center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium and left winger Liam Ohgren. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman [https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC/status/1999640408671027261?s=20] reported the initial trade details before the Canucks made it official nearly an hour later. "We would like to thank Quinn for his time with the Vancouver Canucks," Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford said in a statement [https://www.nhl.com/canucks/news/canucks-acquire-rossi-ohgren-buium-and-a-first-round-pick-from-the-minnesota-wild]. "Quinn is a great person, a great player, and one of the greatest Canucks of all time. With the circumstances surrounding JT (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." Hughes, 26, has two years remaining on his contract at a $7.85-million cap hit and is scheduled to be a UFA following the 2026-27 campaign. He played parts of eight seasons in Vancouver, playing 459 games in his tenure and recording 432 points. In 2023-24, Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL, scoring 17 goals and 92 points in that season. This season, he has two goals and 23 points in 26 appearances. Quinn Hughes was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2023-24 season. (Simon Fearn-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/40aa177c-5162-4c5f-aaf5-4682a53cec45.jpeg] Quinn Hughes was named captain of the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2023-24 season. (Simon Fearn-Imagn Images) The Canucks are receiving three young and promising NHL players in return. Rossi, a much-needed center for Vancouver, has played 202 games in the NHL and is coming off a career high from last season. The 24-year-old Austrian scored 24 goals and 60 points last year. Following that campaign, he signed a three-year contract for $15 million, earning $5 million per season. This year, he's featured in 17 games and recorded four goals and 13 points. Rossi hasn't played since Nov. 11 due to an upper-body injury, but recent reports say he should be returning soon [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/latest-news/wild-s-marco-rossi-is-day-to-day-could-play-sunday]. Buium, a rookie defenseman who made his NHL debut in last season's playoffs, joins Vancouver as a similar player to Hughes. He's tied for seventh in rookie scoring and tied for second in rookie scoring among rookie defensemen. The 20-year-old is an offensively gifted blueliner who's got three goals and 14 points in 31 games. Buium led the Wild's defensemen in power-play points with eight, along with two tallies with the extra man. Buium is in the second year of his entry-level contract, earning $966,667 in average annual value. Ohgren, who is also in the second year of his entry-level contract, costs $886,666 against the salary cap. The left winger has made appearances for Minnesota in the past three campaigns. This season, he has yet to register a point in 18 contests, while averaging 9:32 of ice time per game. Last season, he played in 24 games and posted two goals and three assists for five points. He spent most of last season with the AHL [https://thehockeynews.com/ahl]'s Iowa Wild and had himself a solid campaign. The 2022 first-rounder put up 19 goals and 37 points in 41 AHL outings. 'Not An Easy Day For The Franchise': GM Patrik Allvin Explains Why The Canucks Traded Captain Quinn Hughes [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/aa2a6927-e198-4574-b38e-f27bfd7a3f46.jpeg] 'Not An Easy Day For The Franchise': GM Patrik Allvin Explains Why The Canucks Traded Captain Quinn Hughes GM Patrik Allvin met with the media following the Quinn Hughes trade. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/latest-news/not-an-easy-day-for-the-franchise-gm-patrik-allvin-explains-why-the-canucks-traded-captain-quinn-hughes] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
