It was one of the most painful trades in club history, and it’s going to take a long time for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans to get over.
Last season in mid-December, now-former general manager Patrik Allvin traded captain and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL.
Unfortunately for Hughes as well as his brothers Jack and Luke, the family has recently experienced an unfortunate loss.
Former Vancouver Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes Recently Mourned The Loss Of A Close Family Member
Hughes recently lost his grandmother Penny Weinberg at the age of 83, and commemorated his passing with a touching social media post on his Instagram account.
“❤️🕊️ Love you,” his caption read.
His late grandmother was on hand in February to watch both Quinn and fellow grandson Jack Hughes win the gold medal as part of a historic victory for Team USA in the Milan Olympics.
Naturally, she was ecstatic when Jack beat Team Canada goaltender Jordan Binnington for the historic medal-winning goal.
“It’s amazing! Just amazing,” she said. “And that Jack got it with his teeth knocked out! Um, hopefully he’ll get ’em fixed!”
“I couldn’t be more proud of them as hockey players, but I’m just as proud of them being people,” she later said of her grandsons.
The Wild Want To Re-Sign Hughes To A New Contract
After he was acquired by the Wild from the Canucks in mid-December, Hughes recorded 76 points (seven goals, 69 assists) in 74 games last season, including 53 points in 48 contests with his new team. His 69 assists ranked second among NHL defensemen behind Evan Bouchard, and he matched Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead with 15 points in 11 playoff games while posting a plus-10 rating.
Hughes has one more season left on his contract, and is due a hefty raise on his current salary cap hit of $7.85 million, especially with the cap rising so rapidly.
According to Wild GM Bill Guerin, who naturally included Hughes on Team USA’s roster for the Milan Olympics earlier this winter, the club absolutely is interested in a long-term pact that would keep the former Norris Trophy winner in the Twin Cities for the long haul.
“We’re interested in signing Quinn too,” Guerin said at Minnesota’s season-ending media availability. “We loved having Quinn. He was so impactful, he’s extremely dialed in on what’s going on here. I know he liked it here, I know he likes the team. The team really embraced him.
“I love having him here, and the impact that he had on our team was incredible. These are things that take time and I think everybody needs a little bit of time to decompress, but that’s priority (No.) 1.”
Meanwhile, shortly after Minnesota’s season came to an end at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, Hughes expressed interest in an extension, which he became eligible for earlier this month on July 1.
“I can say that I really like it here,” Hughes said. “I love the team, I love the city and the fans and just being in that locker room with a special group and I would be really open to signing here with the guys that we have in the room and just the people we have in the room.”
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