The Minnesota Wild picked up one of the biggest pieces in franchise history with the acquisition of defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks exactly one week ago.
It firmly put to rest the persistent rumors that Hughes could ultimately land with either the New Jersey Devils or the Detroit Red Wings, two clubs in the Eastern Conference that he was heavily linked to.
The reasons for his being listed as a major possibility for the Devils is because his brothers Jack and Luke both play for the franchise, and Quinn hasn’t been shy in expressing a desire to play with both of them in the NHL.
While Hughes still has another season on his current contract (he’s eligible to sign a new contract extension on July 1, 2026), what are the chances that one or potentially even both of Jake and Luke landing with the Wild?
According to the hosts on the popular “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast, don’t rule it out.
“But why can’t the brothers go play in Minnesota?” asked former NHL defenseman Keith Yandle. “No one ever said it has to be in New Jersey.”
“Bingo,” responded host and former NHL forward Paul Bissonnette.
“Jack has three years left,” added co-host Ryan Whitney. “And I’m not trying to throw any shade or anything, you’ve got Quinn, and you’ve got Jack. Right now, you go way down, and you’ve got Luke. Now, they’re brothers right? But I’m saying in terms of the type of players we’re talking about, Luke is not near those other two guys. So like, what’s stopping Jack from being like, I’m going to go to Minnesota when this deal is done.”
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Quinn Hughes Expressed An Interest In Remaining With the Minnesota Wild
During one of his first press conferences since being acquired by the Wild, Hughes expressed an appreciation for the major swing by general manager Bill Guerin to acquire him from the Canucks.
“I really appreciate him trading the assets that he did to get me,” Hughes said of Guerin. “Some teams, they’re in until they hear what they have to trade to get me, but Billy, he was just full-in.”
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Wild GM Bill Guerin Explains Why He Acquired Quinn Hughes
It wasn’t cheap to acquire Hughes, as the Wild sent Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to the Canucks in return.
However, as Guerin would explain, you just don’t pass up a chance to acquire someone of Hughes’ caliber.
“Because it’s Quinn Hughes,” Guerin said. “And I don’t know what the right moment is, but if you wait for it, you’re gonna miss it. …When it’s a player of this caliber, the right time’s always now.
“Bringing a player like Quinn Hughes here, you just don’t get these opportunities all that often. Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, all great kids, great players with bright futures. Definitely hard to part with guys that you draft, develop, you spend time with. … But like I said, when a player of Quinn’s caliber comes available, and you have an opportunity to get him, there’s a cost to it and we were willing to do what it takes.
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