Once the Canucks started getting serious about moving their best player, the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes came down to which offer would be most enticing to Vancouver.

Minnesota Wild beat out multiple teams for Quinn Hughes

What we’ve found out, in the hours since Friday’s blockbuster was consummated, is that a handful of teams were bidding on the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner, along with the MN Wild.

According to Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic), three other offers (Devils, Red Wings, Rangers) were being seriously considered, along with Minnesota’s. Two others (Canes, Sabres) were in the running until the very end.

Confirmed teams that tried on Quinn Hughes: New Jersey, Detroit, Rangers; and to some degree, Carolina and Buffalo. https://t.co/fRQnTxnmCC

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 13, 2025

No doubt, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin paid the piper for Hughes, giving up Minnesota’s 2026 first round pick, along with 2024 No. 12 overall pick, Zeev Buium (20 y/o), 2020 No. 9 overall pick, Marco Rossi (24 y/o) and 2022 No. 19 overall pick, Liam Ohgren (21 y/o).

The cost may have been high, you can’t control the market. Per Emily Kaplan (ESPN), the Vancouver Canucks let teams know recently that they were open for business on pending free agents. Naturally, that led to conversations about Hughes, who is due to be a free agent at the end of 2026-27.

Last season, Quinn Hughes potted 15 goals for the second-straight season. The former Michigan star has posted 75+ points each of the past three years, including 92 points in 2023-24, the same season he won the Norris Trophy.

You guys… pic.twitter.com/YQ8VYwsAAZ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 13, 2025

How many more blueline dances will we see Quinn Hughes do in a #Canucks uniform?

19+ pic.twitter.com/QyJ2oaGqHy

— PROLINE BC (@ProlineBC) December 12, 2025

But on Friday evening, the move we’ve all been holding our breaths for finally happened, and it kind of came out of nowhere. Yes, Marco Rossi was sent out in the deal, along with a first round draft pick. Liam Ohgren is going to Vancouver, as well.

To the surprise of fans across MN Wild territory, however, prized rookie defenseman Zeev Buium was also part of the package sent across the USA border.

Minnesota Wild land another superstar in trade with Vancouver

But you can’t get talent unless you are willing to give it up. And coming to St. Paul, in return for the haul youngsters going to the Canucks is freshly-turned 26-year-old, 2x All-Star and Norris Trophy winning defenseman, Quinn Hughes, who leaves Vancouver as their points leader, with 23 (2 goals, 21 assists).

Breaking: Quinn Hughes is being traded to Minnesota

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 13, 2025

According to Michael Russo (The Athletic), Hughes will make his Minnesota Wild debut on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. This is hands-down the biggest move Guerin has mad as this organization’s head decision-maker, and one that will define his tenure.

What this Western Conference landscape-changing deal tells us is that the waiting in St. Paul is over. The time to win is now. Craig Leipold and Bill Guerin are tired of first round exits and they clearly believe Quinn Hughes is the guy who can make them a true Stanley Cup contender.

How should Wild fans feel about blockbuster deal?

While the truckload of talent going back to Vancouver is a bit overwhelming, on paper, it’s Minnesota who comes away as the clear winner of this blockbuster.

In hockey, much like the other professional sports we all follow, the winner of major trades like this one are usually the team receiving the best player. And tonight, there is no arguing who the best player exchanged in this move was.

Quinn Hughes time in Minnesota! #mnwild great to add the best defenseman in the NHL pic.twitter.com/OuNgYheNwn

— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) December 13, 2025

The Wild’s defense, as a whole, was pretty talented prior to this trade. With Hughes slotted into the first pairing next to any of Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon or Jonas Brodin, Minnesota’s blue line might be the best in hockey.

Throw in the Vancouver captain’s incredible ability to find scorers in scoring position… and it’s tantalizing to think about what Minnesota’s offensive attack could look like with Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov working alongside him.

Trade Winner: Minnesota Wild

There’s one caveat to the trade, of course. According to Russo, Hughes has not promised anything to the MN Wild, beyond the current term of his contract, which expires at the end of next season.

There has been no assurances given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer, per sources.

Obviously, Guerin knows him well

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 13, 2025

The #MNWild can't extend Quinn Hughes until July 1, but they've got a great tool in their back pocket to get it done:

They'll be the only team who can sign him for 8 years with a front-loaded structure including unlimited signing bonuses, before the CBA rules change Sept. 15.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 13, 2025

If Guerin cannot convince Quinn Hughes to stick around beyond 2026-27, this move could blow up in his face. Of course, Hughes is only a hair past 25, and demand for high-end blue line talent around the National Hockey League isn’t going away.

Should things not work out in this new arrangement, though, the Wild will have plenty of suitors interested in sending Guerin a similar talent-laden package, in order to become his third NHL team.

Related: MN Wild Recall Expensive Young Talent for Another NHL Opportunity

At just 26, Hughes already has 7+ seasons of NHL experience in his skates. In that time, he has played 459 games, averaging nearly a point per game, with 432 (61 goals, 371 assists).

Quinn’s goal-scoring production has been on the rise recently, too, potting 33 goals between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, more than he had in all of his first five seasons combined.

Related: Barring Collapse, Marc-Andre Fleury Has No Interest in ‘Bailing’ on Minnesota Wild

That was until they rolled into St. Paul to play the Minnesota Wild on Monday at the Xcel Energy Center. Coming off of their first loss since the All-Star break, an OT loss vs the Buffalo Sabres that should have been a regulation win, had they not fumbled the lead with less than one minute left to play.

Minnesota Wild win crazy 17 Goal game vs Vancouver Canucks

But today, it was the Minnesota Wild who surged back, and with a lot more fury. Down three goals two different, John Hynes’ new bunch potted six goals in a 5:45 stretch of hockey between the waning seconds of the 2nd period and the start of the 3rd, the fastest that’s ever happened in over 25 years.

AN UNBELIEVABLE EKKIE 🎩🎩🎩#mnwild pic.twitter.com/QTGKvQB3B2

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 19, 2024

In total, 17 total goals scored in today’s St. Paul matinee, including nine in the 3rd period. Special teams problems? Not today. Minnesota scored three five-on-three power-play goals (in four attempts) and found a way to finish on top after one of the craziest hockey games I have ever watched.

Related: Bill Guerin Chosen as GM of USA Olympic Hockey Team

ARE YOU SERIOUS MARCO #mnwild pic.twitter.com/s4MepwqUWn

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) February 19, 2024

Two Minnesota Wild players scored hat tricks. Joel Eriksson Ek’s was a natural hatty(26, 27, 28), the 2nd of his career. Kirill Kaprizov notched his first hat trick of the season, including one open-net goal. Both players scored six points total. Canucks’ J.T. Miller (27) grabbed himself a hat trick too.

Enter: Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)

One player on the trade market who would bring that offense is Vancouver Canucks’ (almost) 26-year-old winger — and Burnsville, MN native — Brock Boeser. The problem? At $6.65 million per season, and with two years left remaining on his deal, Boeser is too expensive for the cap-strapped Wild, who have serious money problems after this season, thanks to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

But according to his agent, Ben Hankinson, Boeser wants to return to the Twin Cities and play for his hometown Wild. So Hankinson and Bill Guerin have been working behind the scenes to find any way possible to make that happen.

But agent Ben Hankinson, with permission from the Canucks, said he’s been in contact with Wild general manager Bill Guerin about trying to find a way to make it work.

“They’re trying to move some things around, potentially,” Hankinson said Wednesday on The Athletic Hockey Show. “More importantly, maybe are they on the inside (of the playoffs)? They obviously had a big win last night. There’s 82 games, you don’t think one win would be so important. But where are they sitting? Does Billy want to add? Or could he be a potential seller?

Joe Smith (The Athletic)

Are the Minnesota Wild a playoff team?

As of Wednesday, following three-straight victories, the Minnesota Wild are smack-dab in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. They currently hold the final wildcard spot, four points ahead of the Calgary Flames and seven points clear of the Nashville Predators. Their 67 points is also tied with the Colorado Avalanche, who sit ahead of the Wild for 3rd place in the central division.

Hankinson sees Boeser sliding in perfectly opposite Matt Boldy. The impact he’d have on that 2nd line could be profound. Look no farther than what Boldy and Fiala did together last season, after Matt was called up to be another playmaker on Kevin’s line. The impact was immediate and those two went on to produce huge point totals, Boeser could absolutely make that same type of impact.

Fewest games from the start of a @Canucks player's NHL career to reach 25 goals:
44- Brock Boeser
44- Elias Pettersson
55- Pavel Bure
56- Andrei Kuzmenko (Via his 1st of 2 in a SO defeat vs NSH tonight)
57- Trevor Linden
63- Rick Blight
76- Dennis Ververgaert
76- Patrik Sundstrom pic.twitter.com/GPd9Koq7DR

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 22, 2023

What would it take?

Trade pieces going back, as Hockenson mentions, could be any of the three Minnesota Wild players — Jordan Greenway, Matt Dumba, Calen Addison — who have been thrown into the trade rumor mill of late.

“But where does Brock Boeser fit? I think he fits in perfectly (as) a top-six scoring wing, probably playing with (Matt) Boldy. But there are other pieces in play. There are rumors that (Jordan) Greenway could be going. Obviously the whole (Matt) Dumba rumors. (Calen) Addison has been scratched a little bit, too. There’s a ton at play.”

Ben Hankinson (Boeser’s agent) – via The Athletic

To make this trade happen, Bill Guerin will have to convince the Vancouver Canucks to retain much of Boeser’s future salary cap hits. To do that, he will have to pay a hefty amount more in player capital than what other interested parties are willing to part with. But if they can find a way to make the money work, top-6 offensive talent will no longer be a concern.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

When your lineup lacks talent it shows.

With Parise, Coyle, and Niederreiter still sidelined with injuries, the Wild aren’t the same team. They also tend to struggle without a knife at their backs, so this defeat came somewhat expectedly. Although the Wild have the depth to cover losses from injuries, they are lacking the heart and effort to accomplish consistent victories.

It was Great to see Granlund back. He looked a little rusty out there, but will eventually have a huge impact on this lineup, when fully integrated and conditioned. The Canucks have been playing some good hockey as of late, so it doesn’t surprise me that the Wild weren’t prepared.

On the positive, the Wild still resemble the team that dominated last season. They won every important statistical category in this game, outside the most important one, which is obviously goals. Although a positive, this trend is also very frustrating. We watched the Wild lose a playoff series last year, while they outplayed the opponent throughout the entire set.

They need to get healthier, but the new players also need to adjust to the faster game play of the NHL. You are starting to see that with Kunin and Ek. Kloos looked like a guy in his first NHL game, as expected. As the games continue, I bet we will see the Wild adjust and start  to build some wins, with injured players coming back. Go Wild!

Wild Game Recap and Boudreau Press Conference (Video: NHL.com):

Zak Klosowski
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

Source: NHL.com

Photo: Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images

Russo noted a 2-month recovery period in which Parise will do little to no activity for 1 month, before being allowed to ease back onto the ice. It’s a sad day for Wild fans and an even worse day for Zach who wants nothing more than to be on the ice battling with his teammates. This surgery was last resort for him.

It sounds like the pain was in his leg and not his back, which in the case of a back injury, is a little scary… If one part of your body is causing another part of your body major pain, you have a pretty big problem. A nerve in your back causing major pain in your leg is no joking matter.

ICYMI>>> Sources: Zach Parise to undergo back surgery Tuesdayhttps://t.co/6W6no8Lnbg

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 24, 2017

Home sweet home. #mnwild begins a six-game homestand tonight against Vancouver.
? @fsnorth | ? @KFAN1003 | ? #FOXSportsGO | ?#VANvsMIN pic.twitter.com/Av7ZUnDCC5

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) October 24, 2017

The Minnesota Wild (2-2-2) will face off against the Vancouver Canucks (4-3-1) to start a 6-game home stand.

We still don’t know if Mikael Granlund is going to play. The Wild are likely waiting to test him some today, before making a final decision. They can’t afford to lose him long-term too. They did leave room for him on the roster, though, which says that he is VERY close but like Bruce Boudreau says, we thought that two games ago.

“I hope it’s [Tuesday], but I thought it was on Friday and I thought it was on Saturday, too,” Boudreau said when asked if Granlund may play against the Canucks. “If it’s [Tuesday], great. If it’s Thursday, great. The sooner we get him in the lineup, the better it is for our team.”

If Granlund does come back, it will be interesting to see where he is slotted. Chris Stewart took his spot next to Koivu and Zucker, and has flourished. He has 6 goals (8 pts) in just 6 games. He and that line have been the main source of scoring.

Dubnyk will be back in-net after Alex Stalock impressed in back-up duty on Saturday. Dubnyk has allowed almost an entire goal more than Stalock, early on. He is due for a good game tonight.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

Sources: ESPN, The Athletic

Photo: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports