'Awful, heartbreaking': Vancouver Canucks named losers of Quinn Hughes trade by The Athletic
Photo credit: The Hockey Writers
Following the blockbuster trade of captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, the Vancouver Canucks have been named the losers of the blockbuster deal from last night.
The era of Quinn Hughes with the Vancouver Canucks is officially over, as he was traded last night to the Minnesota Wild for three roster players including defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi and winger Liam Ohgren, and a first round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
It brings an end to an era of Canucks hockey that went unfulfilled, as Hughes was the all-time points leader in Canucks blue liners despite being only 26 years old.
He also helped bring them to Game 7 of the WCSF in 2024 against the divisional foe Edmonton Oilers after winning the Pacific Division, and he's also a former Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's best defenseman.
Per analyst Harman Dayal of The Athletic, the Canucks are clearly the losers of the monumental trade they made with the Wild despite getting a considerable return.
Yes, Vancouver made the most of an unfortunate situation by extracting a boatload of assets (more on that in a bit) from Minnesota. Make no mistake, though, this is an awful, heartbreaking moment for the organization and its fan base.
Fans will remember both of those management groups and ownership (they reportedly refused a proper rebuild in the late 2010s and allowed Benning to be general manager for way too long) for wasting some of Hughes' best years and ultimately losing him. - Harman Dayal
Fans will remember both of those management groups and ownership (they reportedly refused a proper rebuild in the late 2010s and allowed Benning to be general manager for way too long) for wasting some of Hughes' best years and ultimately losing him. - Harman Dayal
Quinn Hughes Had Played His Entire NHL Career In A Canucks Sweater
The Canucks took Hughes with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and he would quickly rise through the ranks of the team and eventually become their captain.
He would not only win the Norris as the NHL's best defenseman, but he would also quickly start setting Canucks records and eventually overtook Alexander Edler as the team's all-time leading scorer by a defenseman.
It's a heartbreaking era for the Canucks that they were not able to go farther with one of the greatest players to ever wear a Vancouver sweater.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13|344 ANSWERS 'Awful, heartbreaking': Vancouver Canucks named losers of Quinn Hughes trade by The Athletic Who won the trade between the Canucks and Wild? | ||
| Canucks | 130 | 37.8 % |
| Wild | 214 | 62.2 % |
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