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Blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes is perfect for Wild

Quinn Hughes (43) controls the puck against the San Jose Sharks in the third period at SAP Center at San Jose. Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Minnesota Wild's blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes comes at perfect time

By Alex Wiederspiel | Last updated Dec 13, 2025 9:03 AM ET

The Minnesota Wild now own the rights to the best Friday night news dump in NHL history. They also own the rights to superstar American defender Quinn Hughes.

Vancouver receives center Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, winger prospect Liam Ohgren and a first-round draft pick, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

The Minnesota Three: Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren

Rossi, 24, is a two-time 20-goal scorer with 13 points in 17 games this season. He has not played since Nov. 11 due to injury. He is close to returning to action, according to Wild head coach John Hynes. The Wild selected Rossi ninth overall in 2020.

Buium, 20, is a former NCAA superstar who won a national championship at the University of Denver. He has 14 points in 31 games in his rookie season, though he has struggled defensively at five-on-five. The Wild drafted Buium at pick 12 in 2024.

Ohgren, 21, was formerly the No. 19 pick from 2022. He has 42 points in 53 AHL games to this point in his professional career. He has seven points in 46 career NHL games for the Minnesota Wild.

On value, Vancouver fans can feel okay with the return after finally ripping off the band-aid. Hughes, 26, is a superstar defender who won the Norris Trophy two years ago with 92 points in 72 games. His future in Vancouver seemed cloudy the second that Jim Rutherford, Vancouver's president of hockey operations, announced to the world that they were concerned that Hughes might jump ship to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, in New Jersey.

There has been no assurances given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer, per sources.

Obviously, Guerin knows him well
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) December 13, 2025

Quinn Hughes is a game-changer

Minnesota fans might be wondering why they should spend this much to swing on a guy who might very well leave in July 2027. On ice alone, this is a massive win for the Wild.

The Wild now have the best top four defensive group in hockey and maybe the best overall group in the sport, with Hughes looking to fit in with Brock Faber, Jonas Brodin and Jared Spurgeon. Buium, who profiles as an excellent player, has struggled at five-on-five this season, where he's minus-five, according to Natural Stat Trick. Hughes brings to Minnesota a sterling reputation at both five-on-five and an ability to run the power play.

Rossi, a good offensive player, had lost the faith of the coaching staff and fell to the third line during the playoffs last season. He's a good, useful player. But he's an undersized center whom the Wild didn't feel they could count on in the most high-leverage, physical moments of the game.

Ohgren may turn into a decent winger, but he doesn't profile as a difference-maker anytime soon. The first-round pick is probably the least valuable asset at this point, since the Wild are likely going to make the playoffs.

It makes Minnesota better immediately and doesn't sacrifice anything they aren't already replacing (and then some) in the trade.

The #MNWild can't extend Quinn Hughes until July 1, but they've got a great tool in their back pocket to get it done:

They'll be the only team who can sign him for 8 years with a front-loaded structure including unlimited signing bonuses, before the CBA rules change Sept. 15.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) December 13, 2025

Can the Wild extend Quinn Hughes?

It might not necessarily happen, but the Wild will still have options. They could follow the Carolina path and deal Hughes as the Canes did with Mikko Rantanen if it becomes clear he won't extend. They could also follow the Columbus model with Artemi Panarin back in 2019 and simply push their chips into the middle and go all-in, something that fans could get behind for an organization that hasn't produced a playoff series win since 2015.

Either way, the Wild and GM Bill Guerin have acknowledged they needed fundamental change to compete with Colorado and Dallas in the Central Division.

They now have superstar firepower on par with the very best.

Alex Wiederspiel

Alex Wiederspiel is a digital reporter, play-by-play broadcaster, radio show host and podcast host in West Virginia covering high school athletics, Division II college athletics, and some West Virginia University athletics. He's an avid follower of all things hockey and football with a soft spot for prospects -- the future stars of the league. When not consuming sports, Alex is usually doing something related to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or watching movies for his movie podcast, The Movie Spiel

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