As the dust begins to settle from Friday’s Quinn Hughes trade, an era-defining transaction for two NHL franchises, more and more information is being reported regarding the circumstances that led up to the deal.
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin addressed the media yesterday regarding the trade, and revealed a few things about how it all came together. He said that he took a direct, aggressive approach in negotiations with the Canucks, stating “we had to go to them with something real, right away, to tell them that we’re serious,” and adding that the eventual package the Wild sent to the Canucks was the first offer Guerin made.
That bit of information sheds some light on the Wild’s overall strategy regarding their path to contention. Guerin’s willingness to part with key future pieces such as Zeev Buium to acquire Hughes, who has less than two years of team control remaining, indicates that the club sees itself as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender within that period.
Of course, the simple fact that they acquired Hughes sends that signal as well, but it’s also notable that the Wild did not hesitate to include players such as Buium in their initial trade offer to the Canucks.
From the Canucks’ perspective, it’s easy to see why the Wild were able to push through the other bidders for Hughes’ services and get a deal done.
It’s been reported (by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun) that other clubs, such as the Philadelphia Flyers, didn’t feel willing to surrender the caliber of assets the Wild were willing to part with, like a high-upside young player who is either NHL-ready or nearly NHL ready. The Wild were in a unique position where they were able to offer key players who brought a rare combination of youth, upside, NHL-readiness, and positional value.
Buium is a supremely intelligent defenseman who could very well quarterback the Canucks’ top power play unit in short order. Marco Rossi is a center who has a 60-point season on his record and hasn’t turned 25 yet. In a trade market where it’s extremely difficult to acquire centers, let alone young, productive ones, that’s a major piece. And then the willingness to add a player like Liam Ohgren into the deal, someone who has preexisting chemistry with key Canucks youngster Jonathan Lekkerimaki, is something that likely pushed the Wild even further in the Canucks’ eyes.
It’s extraordinarily difficult to “win” a trade where your franchise is parting with a player of Hughes’ caliber. The Wild’s initial offer was strong enough that it, at the very least, gave the Canucks a fighting chance given the key factor of Hughes’ limited team control.
LeBrun also revealed a few other teams that were involved in the race to acquire Hughes. He reported that the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings, and New York Rangers “made legitimate offers” for Hughes, while the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes “showed interest.”
LeBrun also added that “despite rumors to the contrary,” the Washington Capitals “were never real players” to acquire Hughes and cited the organization’s unwillingness to part with a player such as Cole Hutson as a key reason for their reluctance. Hutson is the younger brother of 2024-25 Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson and has 20 points in 17 games this season at Boston University.
Looking at the deal from a different angle, Canucks head coach Adam Foote also spoke to the media yesterday and addressed an aspect of Hughes’ departure that could be key to the Canucks’ off-ice player dynamics. Per The Athletic’s Thomas Drance, Foote said that he hasn’t had an opportunity to speak with the club’s senior hockey operations leaders about naming a new captain, but added that defenseman Filip Hronek will be an alternate captain in the meantime.
The Canucks’ current alternate captains, besides Hronek, are Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson, and Tyler Myers. The fact that Myers is now 35 and has just one year remaining beyond this one on his contract lowers the odds that he’d be a long-term solution as a captain, but both Boeser and Pettersson are in their late-twenties and under contract through 2031-32, making them more logical candidates for such a role, though it is also possible that the next Canucks captain is not currently on their roster.
Photos courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
This deal was GREAT! Because nobody saw it coming, And more Importantly, NOT ONE SINGLE SELF PROCLAIMED INSIDER came close to calling this one. It screams, Don’t listen to self proclaimed insiders.
Hughes attitude became visibly more, for lack of a better word, negative over the past week or so. Could be a decision was reached by Vancouver to commit to the best deal now. Effectively, a deadline.
That casts Guerin’s offer in a different light. Making such a good offer under the circumstances suggests the urgency level had changed for the Canucks and the Wild chose to match it.
Good for both, I think, and, if Minn can extend Quinn, maybe even fair in the end.
Mike Amato of Sportsnet is saying today, That the Wild now look like Stanley Cup contenders, After the blockbuster trade, Mike Amato is WRONG! Really WRONG!
Wild are 28/1 to win the Cup for those interested. Solid value imo.
Shop around. You can still get 30
Yes readers, we are in one of those periods when Wilf/Karen goes on a heater, hitting multiple forums multiple times, generally babbling aimlessly. Here he is hitting on one of his current favorite topics, yelling and screaming about the media types that he dislikes so much that he reads and reports on everything they post. This is where it gets fun and amusing. Keep checking back as the posts keep coming when Wilf on one of these rolls. Enjoy the ride!
At least yours isn’t aimless. Pointless, maybe, because this feud belongs in a back alley someplace.
Stick to hockey. It’s far more entertaining.
Buium’s first ten minutes as a Canuck making the deal look pretty astute from their side.
He’s helping to screw up the tank!!!
/s
My boy Zeev with a goal and assist already. Canucks fans will love this kid.
Guérin understood Canucks mgmt/ownership’s Achilles, which is fear of bottoming out. They’ll always prefer NHL-ready v prospect potential, because the owner’s expectations is to sell tix today, not any further ahead. Not to knock this trade, as Buium is a true talent who is both young & electric, and Rossi fills immediate need & will help drive them out of bottom 5 finish. Allvin/Rutherford have been jones-ing for the smallish 2nd line centre for a while. The team’s strong Swedish roots had them all over Ohgren too, even if Minny had 2 younger lanky centre prospects taken in recent first rds that fit their needs more. Going in the wingers favour is Rossi’s first real season w/ the Wild saw barely any offensive production. What Canucks need is a high draft pick to make the past two seasons of chaos payoff…
Zeev will fit into Quinn’s spot and become the Nuck’s D-star! He had a goal and an apple in his 1st game with them!
Billy G. will regret this trade when Quinn goes to FA in 2027.
They should not have accepted the first offer – they could have squeezed a little more out of them, maybe another pick?