{"id":346334,"date":"2025-12-09T14:05:20","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/346334\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T14:05:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T14:05:20","slug":"should-the-red-wings-trade-for-quinn-hughes-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/346334\/","title":{"rendered":"Should the Red Wings Trade for Quinn Hughes? – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quinn Hughes has made the 31st place Vancouver Canucks the talk of the NHL <\/a>once again, but not in a good way this time. The 26-year-old superstar defenseman is in headlines as serious trade talks surround him for the first time in his career. With the Canucks in the league\u2019s basement, and their young captain roughly 18 months from becoming a free agent, all eyes have turned to the west coast as the vultures circle in hopes of landing one of the league\u2019s most talented players.<\/p>\n

Related: 3 Potential Trades Involving Quinn Hughes<\/a><\/p>\n

Hughes is a remarkably gifted player, scoring above a 90-point pace in each of the past two seasons while putting up respectable defensive numbers in massive minutes. The entire Canucks power play runs through him, and that\u2019s not an exaggeration with how often he\u2019s out there for the full two minutes. He would fundamentally change any team he joins, giving them an elite offensive creator on the back end.<\/p>\n

\"QuinnQuinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks (Photo by Derek Cain\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

So, how do the Red Wings fit into this? Well, rumours have swirled around Detroit as a possible landing spot for Hughes, both in the short and long term. Today, I want to take a look at where he would fit on the Red Wings, find some comparable trades to assess his value, and finally take a stab at whether or not Detroit should really be interested in trading for Hughes given the massive package that Vancouver will rightfully be looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Where Would Hughes Fit?<\/p>\n

If we assume Detroit doesn\u2019t give up either Moritz Seider or Simon Edvinsson<\/a> in a Hughes trade (more on that later), then I think it\u2019s safe to assume Hughes immediately becomes the 1LD above Edvinsson. Detroit would be free to try him with Seider to create a two-headed monster, or they could stick with their current, massive top pair and find a righty to put next to Quinn.<\/p>\n

\"MoritzMoritz Seider, Detroit Red Wings (Jess Starr<\/a>\/The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

Regardless of deployment, having three defenders of this caliber would essentially guarantee that the Red Wings would have at least one dependable defenseman on the ice for 50+ minutes a night. Hughes would clearly become the power play quarterback for Detroit, freeing Seider up to play more even strength and penalty killing minutes, while Axel Sandin Pellikka (ASP) leads the second unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Vancouver, Hughes has become a one-man-offense, creating chances on a dime with his ridiculous stretch passes and elusive skating. In Detroit, he wouldn\u2019t be leaned on quite so heavily on offense, with Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin reliably scoring 70+ points each year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trade Comparisons<\/p>\n

Now, this won\u2019t be perfect given that Hughes isn\u2019t extension eligible<\/a> until July 1, 2026, but let\u2019s quickly run through some of the biggest trades of the past few years to get a bit of a sense for the market on star players these days.<\/p>\n

Mikko Rantanen (the first one) to the Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n

Mikko Rantanen <\/a>was on an expiring, set to become a UFA, and was flipped to the Carolina Hurricanes for Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a second round pick and a fourth round pick. Necas has been a great fit next to Nathan MacKinnon and Drury looks like a nice player, but with Rantanen on an expiring deal and being traded so suddenly, I expect the bidding war on Hughes will drive the price quite a bit higher than this.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Matthew Tkachuk\u00a0to the Florida Panthers<\/p>\n

Matthew Tkachuk had one year remaining on his contract, which would have left him as an RFA, though he was traded a week or two before he was eligible to sign an extension. The Calgary Flames did quite well (at least at the time it seemed that way<\/a>), recouping Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar, Cole Schwindt, and a 2025 1st Round Pick. This situation might be the most similar I\u2019ve found for Hughes, though Quinn could theoretically give the acquiring team two full playoff runs, so I expect the value to be set here or higher.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jack Eichel\u00a0to the Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n

Jack Eichel was traded with five years remaining on his contract. He was supposed to be the saviour of the Buffalo Sabres, but a medical dispute fractured the relationship irreparably and he asked out<\/a>. The Vegas Golden Knights obliged, sending Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 1st round pick, and a 2nd round pick back to the Sabres. <\/p>\n

\"JackJack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

The Sabres really didn\u2019t have much leverage here, with a player who refused to play unless they let him get a surgery that had never been performed on an active professional hockey player, so they did okay all things considered. However, I expect a healthy Hughes would be worth more.<\/p>\n

Erik Karlsson to the San Jose Sharks<\/p>\n

Erik Karlsson was traded <\/a>from the Ottawa Senators to the San Jose Sharks with one year remaining on his contract, just before the opening of the 2018-19 training camp. The Sens landed Josh Norris, Chris Tierny, Rudolf Balcers, Dylan DeMelo, a 1st round pick, and two 2nd round picks. If the Canucks aim for a win-now trade, then the volume of NHL players to go with the picks and prospect might be a decent comparison for what they\u2019re looking for.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Would Detroit Need to Give Up?<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s the rough blueprint for one of the best defenders in the league at the top of his game and on a sweetheart deal for another year and a half (two playoff runs). Keep in mind, Vancouver\u2019s biggest need by far is at center, with bargain bin signing David Kampf<\/a> recently lining up as their 1C this past weekend. I\u2019ll give two blueprints, one for a futures-based deal that would likely return the most value and give the Canucks the best chance at competing long-term, and one that is more likely, where they are looking for significant current value at the expense of long-term thinking (which is how they\u2019ve operated for . . . like 15 years now).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Futures Trade<\/p>\n

Promising young star player (A-level prospect)
Middle-sixer (salary and\/or depth)
Promising young-ish AHLer (B-level or lower)
At least one guaranteed 1st rounder (likely unprotected)
At least one conditional 1st
2nd rounder<\/p>\n

Win-Now Trade<\/p>\n

High-end NHL Contributor
Promising young prospect (A-level prospect)
Middle-sixer (preferably center)
Depth defender
1st round pick
Mid-to-late round pick<\/p>\n

Could\/Should Detroit Make This Kind of Trade?<\/p>\n

What? Are you kidding? A Red Wings team in need of elite talent and with no lottery luck to help them acquire it should absolutely make just about any trade to land someone of Hughes\u2019 caliber that they can. NHL free agency is dead (at least while the market resets due to the rising salary cap) and the only ways to reliably acquire star talent is through the draft and in trades.<\/p>\n

\"LucasLucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings (Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Obviously, the Red Wings would have a short list of un-touchables, a list that would need to include Raymond, Larkin, and Seider (likely including Edvinsson and DeBrincat as well though), but the Red Wings have done a good job of accumulating young talent through the draft and this is just the time to cash in.<\/p>\n

If the Canucks are looking for a futures-based trade, then Detroit should be locking Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin in a room over the next day or so while the team is in Vancouver until a trade gets done. Detroit should absolutely be comfortable including one of Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, or ASP in a Hughes trade as a \u201cpromising young star player\u201d, and probably one of their prospects in the next tier like Michael Brandsegg-Nyg\u00e5rd or Carter Bear<\/a> as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Related: How 3 Red Wings Rookies Made the Cut in 2025-26<\/a><\/p>\n

Detroit has plenty of quality middle-six forwards, and either Andrew Copp or J.T. Compher <\/a>would immediately become Vancouver\u2019s 2C. Trading multiple first round picks would hurt, but a trade like this wouldn\u2019t damage Detroit\u2019s current lineup all that much, while increasing the team\u2019s floor and ceiling considerably.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the other hand, a win-now trade is much trickier for the Red Wings to do well on. If the Canucks hope to have a big shiny player to market the Hughes trade on, I think the only players who are valuable enough to do that would be on the \u201cuntouchable\u201d list I mentioned above.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Could the Red Wings overwhelm the trade market on volume of depth and high draft picks? Possibly, but Vancouver\u2019s short sighted management might price Detroit out of contending seriously for their superstar captain.<\/p>\n

Could the Red Wings Land Hughes?<\/p>\n

Look, Hughes went to the University of Michigan and spends his summers in the state of Michigan so the chances that he\u2019d be willing to join them and even extend are probably second to only the New Jersey Devils (the team that employs both of his younger brothers). If Detroit can make a trade happen while keeping their core intact, then I say sell the farm! You accumulate prospects and picks with the hopes of them becoming contributors, so why not flip a handful of them to land the second or third best defenseman in the world? What better use is there?!<\/p>\n

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