Red Wings Mock Trade for Quinn Hughes

Finally, the Canucks don’t have to trade Hughes. He’s not forcing a deal, and this is simply what the Red Wings could offer if Vancouver opted to make a move now. 

The trade:

• Detroit gets: LD Quinn Hughes
• Vancouver gets: C Nate Danielson, G Trey Augustine, LD Albert Johansson, LW Max Plante, and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.

To acquire a player of Hughes’ caliber, it’s going to cost a lot. The Red Wings are essentially trading two first rounders (Danielson and the 2026 pick), what’s basically another first in Augustine, and two solid former second-round picks with upside in Johansson and Plante.

Starting with Danielson, Vancouver gets a two-way pivot with second-line upside. He would slot in nicely behind Elias Pettersson moving forward. And from what I’ve heard, the Canucks are looking for a quality center and had interest in Danielson going back to the 2023 NHL Draft.

Augustine would give Vancouver a goalie of the future that could eventually take over for Thatcher Demko. It’s expected that he’ll turn pro after Michigan State’s 2025-26 season ends, and should start for Abbotsford (AHL) in 2026-27.

In Johansson, the Canucks get a young left defenseman with upside to balance out their defensive pairs. Marcus Pettersson would jump to the top pair alongside Filip Hronek, leaving Johansson to line up alongside either Tyler Myers or Tom Willander. Johansson excels when it comes to retrievals and transitioning up ice, and could mesh well with a meat-and-potatoes defenseman like Myers.

Lastly, Plante and the first-round pick represent future assets. Plante—the nation’s leading scorer—could conceivably turn pro this spring like Augustine, but may be better off spending one more year at the collegiate level. 

Vancouver’s Perspective on Detroit’s Mock Trade Offer

To gauge whether the proposed offer aligned with Vancouver’s expectations, I reached out to THW colleague and lead Canucks reporter Matthew Zator for his insight. Here’s what he had to say:

“As much as I like Danielson and his potential to be another Bo Horvat,” Zator said, “I think the Canucks would much rather go for Marco Kasper. He has a lot more upside as a top-six center and the front office reportedly had him high on their list in the 2022 draft. 

“Augustine is an interesting piece of this puzzle. The Canucks don’t have a goaltender in the system that has starter upside and they will need to find a replacement after Demko and Kevin Lankinen’s contracts expire. He could be the answer to the crease for a very long time.

“I’m underwhelmed by the defenceman in this proposal, Johansson. He has the potential to be a top-four guy, but would be miles from replacing what Hughes brings to the blue line. Axel Sandin-Pellikka would be my target in any trade involving Hughes. 

“Finally, Max Plante is definitely looking like a legitimate future NHLer, especially after what he’s done so far in the NCAA. I really like him as the prospect in the trade. Overall, while it probably is an overpay, Sandin-Pellikka or Kasper being included instead of Danielson or Johansson would move the needle a bit more to get this deal done.”

Final Word

If Vancouver wanted to trade Quinn Hughes now, the Red Wings have the pieces to get it done. That said, the cost will be sky high, and may require the organization to consider players previously thought of as untouchable. 

Adding Hughes would instantly elevate Detroit’s blue line to near the top of the league. Combined with Seider, Edvinsson, and Sandin-Pellikka (if he’s not included in the trade), the Red Wings would have a truly elite defensive core.