The Central Division just went from being the toughest in the NHL to an absolute slugfest.
The Minnesota Wild are acquiring superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks, according to multiple reports on Friday. In return, the Canucks get Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round draft pick.
Hughes, often regarded as the second-best defenseman in the NHL behind Cale Makar, will now play in the same division as Makar and the 22-2-7 Avalanche.
The Avs lead the Central and the entire league with 51 points in 31 games, but the Dallas Stars are hot on their tails. Dallas, which acquired former Avs superstar forward Mikko Rantanen late last season, is the only other team with more than 40 points, sitting at 47 in 32 games.
The Wild have 39 points in 31 games. They’re just one win away from being third in the entire NHL and would still need to pass at least one of Colorado or Dallas to get home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Minnesota beat Dallas in regulation on Thursday before acquiring Hughes.
Meanwhile, this trade also gives Vancouver a much-needed reset. Things started to ramp up on the Hughes front rather quickly over the last couple of weeks. It became inevitable that he would be traded at some point, although it wasn’t expected to come this quickly.
The New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings were two teams rumored to be in on him, but Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman often warned that there could be better teams that aren’t being given much thought. Minnesota is that.
Buium gives Vancouver a young, budding star defenseman. They also get a strong top-six center in Rossi, another depth piece on Ohgren, and, of course, the first-round pick.
The Avalanche will face Hughes and the Wild next weekend in Minnesota.
READ MORE: The Latest on Kiviranta, O’Connor, and Solovyov
