Wild NHL trade: Canucks deal captain Quinn Hughes to Minnesota

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The Vancouver Canucks have traded captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster deal.

In exchange for the Norris Trophy-winning defender, Vancouver will receive defenceman Zeev Buium, forward Marco Rossi, forward prospect Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.

Hughes, drafted No. 7 overall in 2018 by the Canucks, is one of the best players in Vancouver franchise history. The 26-year-old has 432 points in 459 games and 23 points in 26 points this season. He was named to the NHL’s all-rookie team in 2019-20 and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman in 2023-24, when he tallied 92 points.

The move, announced late Friday afternoon, indicates the struggling Canucks, last overall in NHL standings with an 11-17-3 record, are entering a rebuilding phase.

Hughes will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season, with the Wild eligible to discuss a contract extension as of July 1.

Rossi, a five-foot-nine, 182-pound centre, was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He has 13 points in 17 games so far this year, after a 60-point season a year ago. He is currently injured and has not played since Nov. 11.

Buium, a six-foot, 183-pound defenceman, was the 12th pick in the 2024 draft and has 14 ponts in 31 games as a rookie this season. Ohgren, a six-foot, 187-pound left wing, was taken 19th overall by the Wild in 2022 and is scoreless in 18 games this season.