Former Canucks head coach Quinn Hughes shares feelings on trading star D-man out of Vancouver

The Vancouver Canucks changed his captain, Quinn Hughesto the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster deal last week. In return, the Canucks received Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick.

The trade came amid reports Hughes had informed the Canucks he would not sign a long-term extension, prompting the team to maximize his value rather than risk losing him for less compensation down the road.

The Canucks’ lopsided start to the season, sitting at the bottom of the league, and ongoing rebuilding efforts also factored in. Rick Tocchet, Quinn Hughes’ former head coach with the Canucks, shared his thoughts on the trade during an appearance on the “Donnie and Dhali” podcast shortly after the deal.

Tocchet expressed that it was “unfortunate”, but felt that both sides would benefit in the end:

“I think a lot of teams wanted the guy. I mean, the guy’s an amazing, amazing human being, an amazing kid to coach. He changes the analytics for your team, doesn’t he? If you’re a mid-range team or a mid-possession team, you get him and all of a sudden you’re one of the top teams,” Tocchet said.

He added:

“So that’s what he can do, the impact. So that’s why there’s a lot of buzz around him because he’s a great player. And the guy wants to win. He loves the U.S., playing for the U.S. Olympic team. It’s a big goal for him, too. So there’s a lot of moving parts. And it’s unfortunate, but I think I’m going to win on both parts.”

Quinn Hughes talks about not wanting a future with the Vancouver Canucks

After his Wild debut in a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins on Sunday, Quinn Hughes provided deep reasoning behind not wanting a future with the Canucks:

“I went into the year with an open mind and I wanted to make it work and obviously I wanted to have a big year,” he said. “But I just think with the injuries and the direction it was going, that wasn’t happening. And I think Jim knew where my head was a little bit, and we started talking, or Jim and Pat started talking, and it went from there for a few weeks.”

Hughes scored a goal in his Wild debut. This season he has accumulated 24 points, including 3 goals and 21 assists, in 27 games. The Wild host the Washington Capitals at the Xcel Energy Center next Tuesday.