Members of the Vancouver Canucks reacted to Quinn Hughes' trade to the Minnesota Wild.
The Vancouver Canucks played in their first game without former captain Quinn Hughes tonight, putting up a narrow 2–1 win against the New Jersey Devils. After the trade, some of his former teammates reflected on the defenceman’s departure.
Vancouver’s first-round selection in the 2025 draft, Braeden Cootes, is currently at Team Canada’s Training Camp for the IIHF U20 World Junior Championship, which takes place from December 26 to January 5. The center, who made his NHL debut on October 9 after a strong showing in the pre-season, was asked by the media about his thoughts on the trade.
“You could kind of tell maybe something was going to happen. It sucks. He was so good to me [...] always included me in everything. We got good players back, some young guys, but it’s pretty crazy.”
Canucks Head Coach Adam Foote had worked with Hughes for the better half of three years prior to the shocker trade that hit the team on Friday night. While the deal itself and its timing came as a surprise to Foote, the coach noted that the team braced themselves for the possibility of a move.
“We were ready for whatever was gonna happen,” Foote said on Saturday. “It might be coming, it’s still [...] you see your captain go like that. He’s a great friend of mine and loved working with him. Gonna miss him, but it’s a business, right?”
Another member of the Canucks who has been close with Hughes in the past is Conor Garland, who named Hughes his firstborn son, Quint’s, godfather. Garland and Hughes have played together since the forward was traded to Vancouver back in 2021.
“Obviously, take away the hockey, for sure it’s tough,” Garland said to The Athletic after Saturday’s practice. “I don’t have any brothers, but we were close. Day to day is going to be a bit odd for a little bit.”
Since arriving in Vancouver back in 2023, Filip Hronek has been penciled in as Hughes’ defence partner. With Hughes no longer with the team, Hronek wore an ‘A’ as one of the team’s assistant captains.
“It’s always tough, and especially when you get close with somebody,” Hronek told Sportsnet. “I think we became really good friends. It sucks, but also it’s part of the business.”
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