It has been a long time coming in the Quinn Hughes trade saga, but on Friday, the long-awaited move finally became a reality.
Hughes made his Minnesota Wild debut Sunday, just two days after being acquired from Vancouver.
After recording his first goal in the team’s 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins, Hughes spoke to reporters for the first time since being traded and reflected on his time with the Canucks, while also talking about the excitement in starting the next chapter in his hockey career.
“This team is impressive,” Hughes said following the game. “As I get going here and feel more comfortable, it’s gonna be exciting.”
Despite it being only his first game on his new team, Hughes says that he already felt the love coming from all of the fans in attendance for his Wild debut.
“It was pretty special,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting that. I know (Minnesota) is a hockey market, but that was exciting.”
Hughes spoke highly of his new teammates, including Kirill Kaprizov, and said he’s excited to continue building chemistry with blue-line partner Brock Faber.
However, it wasn’t the players who first caught his eye — it was general manager Bill Guerin.
“I really appreciate him trading the assets that he did to get me. Some teams are in until they hear what they have to trade to get me, but Billy was all-in.
“Obviously, I wanna do what I can here and do him right.”
Hughes mentioned that his time with the Wild general manager during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February really impacted his decision to come to Minnesota.
Hughes is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027. He is eligible to sign an extension on July 1, and is “extremely open-minded” on staying with the Wild long term.
“They’ve got an amazing core. Obviously I’ve only been here for four hours, but I’m getting to know some of the guys, and how energetic and positive some of them are. And then Minnesota, being so close to Michigan, and just the State of Hockey and the passion here.
“… That means a lot to me.”
The 26-year-old spent the first seven years of his NHL career with the Canucks after being drafted seventh overall by the team out of the University of Michigan. During that time, he made the playoffs just twice, including once under Jim Rutherford, the current president of hockey operations for Vancouver.
Still, Hughes stressed that the process was handled the right way.
“I have the ultimate respect for Jim Rutherford, and (team owner) Francesco Aquilini and the Aquilini family,” he said when asked about his involvement in the trade. “They were first-class with everything that was going on, and obviously it was a tough situation, but it felt like it was time, and I think Jim did too.
“… (Jim) wanted me to go where he thought I’d be happy.”
The return for Vancouver in the blockbuster trade included forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in 2026. All three players made their Canucks debuts Sunday against New Jersey, with Buium shining by recording a goal and an assist in Vancouver’s 2-1 win.
Buium’s new teammate — and Hughes’ former teammate — Conor Garland discussed the impressive debut for the newly acquired Buium.
“He was really good on the power play,” Garland said. “His entries are up there with the best, so he’s gonna be a really good addition going forward.”
When Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy asked Garland about what the loss of Hughes means to him, he kept it brief, saying, “he’s one of the best guys out there, but as a group, we gotta move on.”
After the game, Canucks coach Adam Foote also reflected on the loss of Hughes in the locker room, saying it has a completely different feel to it.
“It’s just a really different feeling,” he said. “All the noise is finally gone. It’s hard on Huggy, it’s hard on the players when that’s out in the public, and it’s hard to keep those things behind closed doors.
“We’re gonna miss Huggy, but as far as it goes with your team, it was a distraction and you can feel it.”
