The Quinn Hughes era is over in Vancouver.
The NHL team has traded its captain and star defenceman to the Minnesota Wild for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round draft pick in 2026.
The Canucks sent out a press release at 8:30 p.m. ET confirming the deal, and noted that general manager Patrik Allvin would be available to media one hour later.
The move comes amid an ugly season for Vancouver where the team has gone 11-17-3 and sits last in the Pacific Division and in the Western Conference.
Hughes remained among the faint bright spots for the struggling franchise, with 23 points this season, including two goals.
Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 draft, the 26-year-old from Orlando, Fla., has long been Vancouver’s top talent.
Over 459 regular-season games, he amassed 432 points, and set a new record for points by a Canucks defenceman in October when he passed Alex Edler (409).
When Vancouver made him captain in ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, Hughes responded by posting a career-high 92 points and leading his team to the top of the Pacific Division. He added another two goals and 14 assists over 17 playoff appearances before the Canucks ultimately fell to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of a second-round series.
Hughes’ play won him the 2024 Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the league’s top blue liner.
He was nominated for the honour again in 2025 after injuries curtailed his season and kept him from playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Without their leader — and other key players — in the lineup the Canucks struggled and finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 38-30-14 record, missing the playoffs by six points.
Questions about Hughes’ future in Vancouver bubbled up in September after his younger brother, New Jersey Devils centre Jack Hughes, said he’d love to play with Quinn “at some point.”
The eldest Hughes brother — youngest brother Luke Hughes also plays in New Jersey — is not a free agent until July 2027, and responded to Jack’s comments by saying it would be fun to play with his siblings, but he was focused on his team.
“I’m excited to be in Vancouver, and I feel like last year was a little bit of failure. I feel like I’ve got things to do there,” he said. “And I know Jack loves Jersey, and he’s got stuff to do also.”
Hughes has one year remaining on a six-year, $47.1 million deal that he signed with the Canucks in Oct. 2021 that comes with a cap hit of $7.85 million.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2025.
