Canucks Send Quinn Hughes to Wild in Blockbuster Trade

It is only the middle of December, and the NHL Trade Deadline is not for a couple more months, but it seems like it has come early. Earlier in the day, the NHL saw the Nashville Predators deal defenseman Spencer Stastney to the Edmonton Oilers and the Pittsburgh Penguins deal goaltender Tristan Jarry to the Edmonton Oilers.

But it seems like the Vancouver Canucks told the league to hang on just a minute as they had a massive deal bigger than those earlier ones in the works. Superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes is on his way to the Minnesota Wild in a trade that ends a crazy day across the league.

The return for Hughes is a massive one, as the Canucks are acquiring defenseman Zeev Buium, forward Marco Rossi, forward Liam Ohgren and the Wild's 2026 first-round pick, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston. This is a massive deal for the Canucks, as Buium was drafted 12th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, Rossi was drafted 9th overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and Ohgren was drafted 19th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft.

Essentially, the Canucks got four first-round picks for Hughes, which is huge. Everyone wins as the Canucks get a huge return towards a potential rebuild, and the Wild get a huge piece that helps them win now. This is a trade that benefits both sides and both general managers should be happy.

Monster deal: Quinn Hughes traded to Minnesota for 2026 1st, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 13, 2025

The Wild going for it is the right move

NHL fans may be wondering why the Wild were the ones that decided to trade for Hughes. But this is one that should not surprise them at all. They have a lot of pieces especially a goaltender that can carry them far in the playoffs.

They have guys like superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov, star forward Matt Boldy, do-it-all forward Joel Eriksson Ek, to go along with Hughes now and star defenseman Brock Faber. And not to mention that superstar Jesper Wallstedt is posting a 1.95 GAA and a .936 save percentage in 11 games so far.

The Wild have the pieces to make this work and especially in a Western Conference that seems wide open as outside of the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, is for the taking. The Wild should be able to compete with the top teams.

This trade is a win for both sides, but for Bill Guerin, he should get an A. Yes, he gave up a lot to make this deal work, but considering Hughes signs an extension with the Wild, he should be considered the winner of this trade.

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