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stfrank -> RE: Wild 2025-26 Season (12/12/2025 8:21:01 PM)
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By Michael Russo, Joe Smith and Harman Dayal
ST. PAUL, Minn. — In unarguably the biggest trade in Wild history and one of the biggest in NHL history, Bill Guerin sent the equivalent of four first-round picks to the Vancouver Canucks in a Friday night blockbuster for Norris Trophy-winner Quinn Hughes.
Heading to Vancouver are Marco Rossi (2020 first-round pick), Zeev Buium (2024 first-round pick), Liam Ohgren (2022 first-round pick) and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick, per league sources.
Hughes is in the fifth year of a six-year deal that pays him $7.85 million AAV. He’s eligible for an extension on July 1.
There has been a lot of speculation that Hughes would want to join forces in New Jersey with his brothers, Jack and Luke, or play for his home state Detroit Red Wings if he becomes a free agent in July 2027.
There have been no assurances given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer, per league sources.
But because he’s eligible for an extension before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in Sept. 15, they would be the only team that can sign Hughes to an eight-year extension with a frontloaded structure, including unlimited signing bonuses like the record eight-year, $17 million AAV contract they recently gave Kirill Kaprizov.
And while no assurances have been made by Hughes, a league source said it’s way easier to convince a player to sign once he’s in the place rather than not.
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NHL trade grades: Wild get Quinn Hughes, enter win-now mode with a great but costly deal
NHL trade grades: Wild get Quinn Hughes, enter win-now mode with a great but costly deal
Hughes provides the Wild with a superstar at a premium position, something they have dearly lacked.
Hughes, 26, has been the top name on the trade market and immediately becomes the most talented blueliner the Wild have ever had. Minnesota gave up a haul in this trade, including a top prospect in Buium and, as of recently, their No. 1 center in Rossi, but this is a franchise-altering trade.
Once Guerin, the Wild’s president of hockey operations and GM, signed Kaprizov to a deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, there was an underlying belief that the next 3-4 years would be a window for them to finally be serious Stanley Cup contenders. The Wild have not gone past the first round in a decade, and owner Craig Leipold said before this season that they wanted to be “more than just a playoff team.”
The Wild, after a red-hot November, have been one of the best teams in the league, beating contenders such as the Avalanche and, on Thursday, the Stars. Guerin said entering the season that, with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts mostly off the books, they’d have a chance to go big-game hunting during the season. And Hughes, by far, is the biggest fish.
Rossi has been their No. 1 center until a recent lower-body injury sidelined him several weeks, but the emergence of Russian rookie Danila Yurov has helped provide some depth and some potential for movement from up the middle. Yurov, a fellow first-round pick, has centered a line with Kaprizov and Zuccarello, replaced most recently by Vladimir Tarasenko.
Buium, the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was the Wild’s top prospect overall. He made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring after being a Hobey Baker Finalist with the University of Denver. He’s been a fixture on the third pair with Zach Bogosian.
What it means for Wild
This is arguably the biggest trade in franchise history and signals the fact that the Wild feel they’re ready to make the jump into the category of a serious contender. They boast a strong core with a superstar in Kaprizov, recently signed to become the highest-paid NHL player in history, and another superstar-in-waiting in Matt Boldy. They’ve gotten strong goaltending from Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.
Guerin has realized that free agency is likely not the way to significantly impact the team, with the salary cap going up for every team, so the biggest splash he can make is via trade. And while there’s no guarantee Hughes signs a long-term extension with the Wild, this gives them two playoff swings with a top-three defenseman in the league, which could impact them in every situation.
It’s been 10 years since the Wild made it out of the first round and this move — for better or worse — will be judged on how far they can get over that hump the next couple of seasons. They’ve certainly mortgaged a lot of futures the last two years in the David Jiricek trade and this one, with Buium, Rossi and another first-rounder going out the door. — Joe Smith
What it means for Canucks
It’s an understatement to call the departure of Hughes a devastating blow to the Canucks. Hughes was by far the greatest defenseman in franchise history. He’s a bona fide superstar, a player who, over the last two years, played at a near Hart Trophy level. You can spend years drafting in the top five and there’s no guarantee that you’ll land a player of Hughes’ caliber again.
The Canucks’ inability to be competitive in Hughes’ seventh full NHL season is obviously a colossal failure. However, with the writing on the wall that Hughes wasn’t going to re-sign in Vancouver long-term, the Canucks had to do their best to minimize the pain with a package that could set up the rebuild that they are now obviously entering.
To that extent, the Canucks may have made the most of a bad situation. Rossi, Ohgren and the first-round pick are quality assets, but the real prize is Zeev Buium. Buium, who was regarded as one of the best prospects in all of hockey, has the potential to be a top-pair star. His ability to reach his ceiling in the years to come will make or break the return for what is one of the biggest trades in the franchise’s history. — Harman Dayal
Michael Russo
Joe Smith
Harman Dayal
By Michael Russo, Joe Smith, Harman Dayal
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