The New York Rangers were one of a handful of NHL teams to make an offer to the Vancouver Canucks for superstar Quinn Hughes. Vancouver recently opted to trade the dynamic blueliner because he would not commit his future to the club.
Despite several substantial offers for Hughes, the Canucks ultimately accepted a massive offer from the Minnesota Wild. The deal included Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick. Although Hughes is a bona fide star, Vancouver received a lot of talent in return for a player set to be out of contract in the summer of 2027.
Following the failed offer by New York, The Athletic’s Vince Mercogliano admitted that the Rangers could not give the Canucks what they wanted. Vancouver clearly wanted a quality center and a young, highly-rated defenseman in return for Hughes. The Rangers are exceptionally thin at the center position.
On top of this, Mercogliano claimed that former first overall draft pick Alexis Lafreniere was likely included in New York’s offer. “Based on my own dot-connecting, their most realistic Hughes offer would have been something along the lines of winger Alexis Lafreniere, defenseman Braden Schneider, and at least one of their two 2026 first-round draft picks,” wrote Mercogliano.
New York Rangers Rewarded Alexis Lafreniere with a Massive Raise in 2024
GettyAlexis Lafreniere carries a similar salary as Quinn Hughes and has ties to a Vancouver Canucks exec.
Lafreniere was previously seen as the top prospect heading into the 202o draft. In fact, the Rangers selected the forward ahead of stars such as Quinton Byfield, Tim Stutzle, Lucas Raymond, Seth Jarvis, and the aforementioned Rossi. Following his selection, Lafreniere made the massive jump straight to the NHL.
The winger then gradually increased his point total in each of his first four seasons in the Big Apple. Because of this ascension, the Rangers rewarded the budding star with a seven-year, $52 million contract extension in October 2024. Lafreniere, however, regressed during the 2024-25 season to record just 45 points in 82 games.
As Mercogliano pointed out in his piece, the financial aspects of offering Lafreniere for Hughes make sense. Both of their AAVs are around the same figure. Because the Rangers do not have a ton of cap space, they would have needed to shed a significant salary to afford Hughes.
Along with the financial details, Vancouver also has direct links to Lafreniere. The winger’s previous agent, Emilie Castonguay, is currently an assistant GM for the Canucks. Despite the potential positives, Vancouver clearly received a better offer for Hughes from Minnesota.
New York’s Mediocre Prospect Pool May Not Help Bring in a Star via Trade
Now that Hughes is off the board, at least for now, the Rangers will have to get creative in improving their roster. Unfortunately, the team’s prospect pool is not exactly stellar at the moment. ESPN recently ranked New York’s youngsters as the 19th-best pipeline in the NHL.
According to the outlet, Gabe Perreault and Scott Morrow are the standout prospects in the organization. Perreault, a 2023 first-round selection by the Rangers, has picked up 17 points in 20 games so far this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Morrow, however, has struggled a bit since arriving from the Carolina Hurricanes in the summer. The blueliner has bounced back and forth between the Rangers and their AFL affiliate during the campaign.
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