Wild NHL trade: Canucks deal captain Quinn Hughes to Minnesota
Published 5:45 pm Friday, December 12, 2025
The Vancouver Canucks have traded captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster deal.
In exchange for the Norris Trophy-winning defender, Vancouver will receive defenceman Zeev Buium, forward Marco Rossi, forward prospect Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick.
Hughes, drafted No. 7 overall in 2018 by the Canucks, is one of the best players in Vancouver franchise history. The 26-year-old has 432 points in 459 games and 23 points in 26 points this season. He was named to the NHL’s all-rookie team in 2019-20 and won the Norris Trophy as the league’s top defenceman in 2023-24, when he tallied 92 points.
The move indicates the struggling Canucks, last overall in NHL standings with an 11-17-3 record, are entering a rebuilding phase.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the #Canucks have acquired forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Öhgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenceman Quinn Hughes.
DETAILS |… pic.twitter.com/mSQG5QAjjl
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 13, 2025
Hughes will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season, with the Wild eligible to discuss a contract extension as of July 1.
Rossi, a five-foot-nine, 182-pound centre, was the ninth overall pick in the 2020 NHL draft. He has 13 points in 17 games so far this year, after a 60-point season a year ago. Buium, a six-foot, 183-pound defenceman, was the 12th pick in the 2024 draft and has 14 ponts in 31 games as a rookie this season. Ohgren, a six-foot, 187-pound left wing, was taken 19th overall by the Wild in 2022 and is scoreless in 18 games this season.