Hughes is an established star and one of the best defensemen in the NHL, so there is no pretending Vancouver received a player who could step in and replace him. The more interesting question is whether the Canucks received enough young talent and potential to eventually make the organization better than it was before the trade.<\/p>\n
The Return Was Bigger Than One Player<\/p>\n
In the December 2025 blockbuster<\/a>, the Canucks traded Hughes to the Minnesota Wild for centre Marco Rossi<\/a>, defenceman Zeev Buium, winger Liam \u00d6hgren<\/a> and Minnesota\u2019s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Vancouver used that pick to select forward Adam Novotny<\/a>.<\/p>\n One thing about the reaction stood out. Plenty of attention has been paid to Buium and the draft pick, but as a reader pointed out yesterday,<\/a> Rossi deserves more attention than he sometimes gets in the discussion. He\u2019s still young enough that his best hockey could be ahead of him. If Rossi develops into the player some people believe he can become, he could eventually be one of the most important pieces of the Hughes trade.<\/p>\n That\u2019s what makes this kind of deal difficult to judge. Vancouver didn\u2019t trade Hughes for one player. Management traded him for a collection of players who are at very different points in their development.<\/p>\n Buium Doesn\u2019t Have to Be Hughes<\/p>\n Then there is Buium. The temptation is to compare him directly with Hughes, but that\u2019s the wrong way to look at it. Hughes is a special player, and expecting Buium to become another 70- or 80-point defenseman isn\u2019t particularly fair.<\/p>\n Buium doesn\u2019t have to replace Hughes. He needs to become Buium. If he develops into a top-pair defenseman with a different skill set, Vancouver can still come out of this with something very valuable. Sometimes replacing a star isn\u2019t about finding another version of the same player. It\u2019s about changing what the team can be.<\/p>\n That\u2019s an important distinction. The Canucks aren\u2019t going to find another Hughes sitting on the shelf. They may, however, be able to build a better overall team with several players who fill different roles.<\/p>\n The Draft Pick Could Matter Too<\/p>\n And then there is Novotny. He\u2019s the hardest piece of the trade to evaluate because he\u2019s a draft pick who may be several years away from telling us what he really is. But that\u2019s also what makes first-round picks so valuable in a trade like this. They provide another opportunity to find a player who can grow with the rest of the group.<\/p>\n![\"Marco](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Marco-Rossi-Canucks-3-1200x800.jpg\")
Vancouver Canucks forward Marco Rossi (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Adam-Novotny-Canucks-1200x900.jpg\")
Adam Novotny, Vancouver Canucks (