The Minnesota Wild will have a new look when they take the ice Sunday afternoon. They completed a trade Friday night for All-Star defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks, and he will play for the team against the visiting Boston Bruins.
Rumors of a potential trade for Hughes had been circulating for weeks, and several teams including the New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and Washington Capitals had been mentioned. However, the Wild completed the trade as they sent defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi and winger Liam Ohgren along with a first-round pick to the Canucks.
The Canucks reportedly received 6 trade offers for Hughes and the one they received from the Wild was the strongest. The Wild are scheduled to play the Ottawa Senator Saturday afternoon, but Hughes is not scheduled to play in that game. However, the Wild have said that the defenseman will be in the lineup Sunday against the Bruins, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.
Hughes is under contract through the 2026-27 season and the 2018 first-round draft choice is considered one of the best defensemen in the NHL. He won the Norris Trophy as the league's best defenseman in 2023-24 and he has already been named to the United States Olympic Hockey team that will be playing in Milan, Italy in February.
Assimilating Hughes into the lineup could be a challenge
It could take time for Hughes to get used to his new surroundings and assert himself for the Wild. Minnesota will have to get used to playing without Buium, Rossi and Ohgren. Buium is considered one of the top defensive prospects in the league and he has 3 goals and 11 assists through 31 games this season. Rossi has scored 4 goals and 9 assists in 17 games, while the 21-year-old Ohgren has not scored in 18 games
Hughes is one of the best skaters in the league and he seems likely to show off his offensive skills fairly quickly. However, it could take a while for Hughes to understand the nuances of Minnesota's defensive system.
