Canucks fans send the Wild an awful message about Quinn Hughes' future with chant
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Canucks fans told the Wild Quinn Hughes won't re-sign during Sunday's 4-2 loss, and Hughes scored his 500th career point in his Vancouver return.
Quinn Hughes got the loud welcome everyone expected in Vancouver on Sunday night, and Canucks fans saved their biggest message for the Minnesota Wild.
A chant broke out at Rogers Arena telling Minnesota that its new star defenseman isn't going to sign an extension.
Hughes hasn't signed one yet, and that made the jab sting.
The Wild couldn't even open extension talks until July 1, and his current deal runs through the 2026-27 season before he can become an unrestricted free agent.
A rough welcome for the former captain
The boos started in warmups and never really stopped.
Fans chanted insults, called him a quitter and roared when he got bowled over on his first shift.
The video tribute drew a mix of boos and a standing ovation, which showed just how split the building felt.
Vancouver traded Hughes to Minnesota last December for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.
He had been the face of the Canucks as their captain, so the sting of seeing him in Wild colors was always going to run deep.
Hughes gets the last word
Hughes answered on the ice. He scored on the power play to make it 3-0 Wild, and that goal was the 500th point of his NHL career.
He also set up a Kirill Kaprizov goal early in the third period as Minnesota rolled to a 4-2 win.
The contract question will follow Hughes all season.
The Wild sit atop the Central Division, so the stakes of keeping him are real.
Minnesota can talk extension now, but the longer it drags on, the louder the free agency chatter gets.
Canucks fans have already made their own prediction loud and clear.
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