Quinn Hughes Speaks on Canucks Following Win Over Former Team

Defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild posted one point and four shots on goal against his former team, the Vancouver Canucks.

Hughes was formerly the captain of Vancouver, but was traded away to the Wild on the night of Dec. 12 in exchange for center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, forward Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick. Following the trade, the former Norris Trophy winner had already tallied 49 points for Minnesota across four goals and 45 assists. His current total now moves to 50 points and 46 assists.

Prior to play against the Canucks, Hughes said he would not fully process that he was going against his former teammates until the puck dropped.

"I just feel like you're so day-to-day and the season has flown by, and so much has happened that you don't even really think about it until it's here so it probably won't feel real until not even warmups, but probable the game," Hughes had said to the media following morning skate ahead of play against Vancouver. "I think it's just been such a long year, you don't even process ... you don't even process everything that's going on and you're just playing. At the end of the summer you can kind of look back and reflect on what the year was like."

Quinn Hughes Fully Moved on From Time With Canucks

The final score between the Wild and Canucks on April 2 resulted in a 5-2 win for the former, with Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman each posting two goals in addition to one from Kirill Kaprizov.

Speaking with Sportsnet postgame, Hughes said it was odd playing against his former NHL franchise.

"[It was] definitely a little weird but, you know, you move on and I'm happy to be here right now," Hughes said to Sportsnet postgame. "Probably [playing them] in Vancouver would be a little bit weirder than this but it was nice we got the win and we've got a big weekend coming up ... A lot of those guys over there, I only played with for a couple months — obviously still some close friends over there but a lot of change."

Quinn Hughes speaks with @sportsnetmurph after his first game against the Canucks since being traded to the Wild 👀 pic.twitter.com/Y8pZplFh7W
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 3, 2026

The win against Vancouver also allowed the Wild to clinch the third playoff spot in the Central Division for the approaching Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Before his arrival to Minnesota, Hughes was originally drafted by Vancouver with the No. 7 overall selection in 2018. He would go on to become the Canucks' all-time leading scorer among defensemen, surpassing Alexander Edler's record of 409 points back in October.

The Canucks now remain at the very bottom of the Pacific Division with 52 points across a 22-45-8 overall record.

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