Photo credit: Detroit Free Press.
Some new information has emerged about the Detroit Red Wings’ pursuit of former Vancouver Canuck Quinn Hughes one week after being traded to the Minnesota Wild.
“The best information I could get in the aftermath of this shocking trade, which Martine Gaillard reminded me last night I never saw coming, is that he [Hughes] informed them I believe right before U.S. Thanksgiving, like around that time, as the Canucks were losing, he was really having trouble dealing with it. If you’re a Canucks fan you saw it, if Canuck watcher you saw it. He was really struggling with the losing. It was right around that time before U.S. Thanksgiving that the Canucks were informed he would not be signing an extension with them this summer.” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said.
Once the Canucks got word of Quinn Hughes’ intentions, Jim Rutherford started taking calls on the now-former captain and among the teams to reach out and show interest was reportedly the Detroit Red Wings.
New information emerges about Detroit Red Wings’ pursuit of former Vancouver Canuck Quinn Hughes
There were upwards of six teams that expressed interest in Quinn Hughes during the short two-week window between him telling the Vancouver Canucks he wouldn’t sign an extension and him being traded by the team.
As mentioned, the Detroit Red Wings were one of the interested teams but were reportedly unwilling to part with a specific asset in talks with the Vancouver Canucks, which was not named but is believed to be Swedish defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
“Friedman on 32TP says Red Wings could not get the deal done with Vancouver for Quinn Hughes because the Canucks wanted something the Wings were not willing to include in the deal, Friedman doesn’t know what that is but suspects it was Edvinsson.” NHL Watcher said on X earlier this week.
In a recent article for ESPN, Rachel Kryshak and Greg Wyshynski revealed that there were murmurs about the Detroit Red Wings acquiring Quinn Hughes, signing him to a long-term extension and eventually trying to convince his brother, Jack, to join them in the summer of 2030 when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Kryshak and Wyshynski added that in order for the Detroit Red Wings to have a legit shot at landing Quinn Hughes before last week’s trade to Minnesota, Steve Yzerman would’ve had to part ways with Simon Edvinsson, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and one of Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson, along with a first round pick.
“There was a thought that Detroit could acquire Hughes, extend him…then lure Jack…in 2030; for Detroit…it likely would have taken…Simon Edvinsson; Brandsegg-Nygard; either Kasper or Danielson; a first.” Kryshak and Wyshynski said.
With Detroit striking out in their attempt to bring one of hockey’s best defensemen to town, Steve Yzerman will now have to wait another 18 months to make another run at Quinn Hughes, assuming he makes it to the free agent market in the summer of 2027.
Previously on Vancouver Hockey Daily
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New information emerges about Detroit Red Wings’ pursuit of former Vancouver Canuck Quinn Hughes
Do you think the Detroit Red Wings will try to sign Quinn Hughes if he hits the free agent market in 2027?