According to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun [https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6886805/2025/12/13/quinn-hughes-trade-canucks-rumblings/], the Buffalo Sabres were one of the teams that expressed interest in superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes before the Vancouver Canucks traded him to the Minnesota Wild. "The New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers are among those six teams confirmed to have made legitimate offers. The Devils feel they made a strong first offer. I can also confirm that the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes showed interest," LeBrun wrote. Hearing that the Sabres were interested in Hughes is not necessarily surprising, as there is no question that they could use another superstar. This is especially so when noting that they are struggling again this season and are looking to break their 14-year playoff drought. Yet, with Hughes officially off the board and now on the Wild, the Sabres will need to explore their options elsewhere if they hope to add to their roster. However, Hughes would have been a real game-changer for the Sabres had they acquired him from the Canucks. No trade candidate out there right now is as big of a superstar as Hughes. In 26 games this season with the Canucks before being traded to the Wild, Hughes recorded two goals, 21 assists, and 23 points. This is after he had 16 goals and 76 points in 68 games with Vancouver in 2024-25 and a career-high 92 points in 82 games with the Canucks in 2023-24.
