There has been speculation for a while now that the Vancouver Canucks would trade defenseman Quinn Hughes of Orlando, Florida. The two favourites over the last month to acquire the elite blueliner were the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers. Instead, Hughes stayed in the Western Conference as he was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Friday night. The Canucks receive centre Marco Rossi of Feldkirch, Austria, left winger Liam Ohgren of Stockholm, Sweden, defenseman Zeev Buium of San Diego, California, and a first round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Hughes in 2025-26
Hughes is a two-time NHL All-Star, who won the 2024 Norris Trophy. He has been with the Canucks since the 2018-19 season. In 26 games, Hughes had two goals and 21 assists for 23 points. He was a -10 with 12 penalty minutes, 12 power-play points, 74 shots on goal, 32 blocked shots, one hit, 10 takeaways, and 41 giveaways. Hughes’s hit came in a 5-3 Canucks win over the Stars on October 16.
Rossi in 2025-26
Rossi has spent the last five seasons with the Wild. In 2025-26, he had four goals and nine assists for 13 points. He was a -6 with two penalty minutes, five power-play points, 27 shots on goal, 107 faceoff wins, eight blocked shots, 11 hits, five takeaways, and 13 giveaways.
Ohgren in 2025-26
Ohgren had zero points in 18 games. He was a -3 with 18 shots on goal, two faceoff wins, eight blocked shots, 29 hits, one takeaway, and seven giveaways. The two faceoff wins came in a 4-3 Wild win over the Carolina Hurricanes on November 19, and the takeaway came in a 5-2 Wild win over the Dallas Stars on December 11.
Buium in 2025-26
Buium has three goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 31 games. He is a -9 with eight penalty minutes, eight power-play points, 31 shots on goal, 15 blocked shots, nine hits, five takeaways, and 32 giveaways.
Four first round picks
There were four first round picks involved in the trade. Hughes was the first round pick, seventh overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Rossi was the first round pick, ninth overall, in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Ohgren was the first round pick, 19th overall, in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Buium was the first round pick, 12th overall, in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
Why were the Devils and Flyers possibilities for Hughes?
It is because of the familiarity factor. Quinn’s brothers Jack and Luke are with the Devils, while Quinn’s former coach in Vancouver, Rick Tocchet, coaches the Flyers.
Trade Grade
The Canucks deserve a trade grade of B+. They actually did a great job in getting four first round picks in the deal. The Wild get a grade of B-. Yes, they got the best player in the deal, but they gave up a lot.
