After being the NHL’s top trade candidate, former Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes found his new home earlier this week. While the feeling was that Hughes would end up joining his brothers on the New Jersey Devils, the Canucks instead traded him to the Minnesota Wild in a massive blockbuster.
While losing Hughes undoubtedly stung, the Canucks managed to land a very good return for their former superstar defenseman. The Wild sent their 2026 first-round pick, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and defenseman Zeev Buium to the Canucks in the huge trade.
With Hughes being one of the NHL’s best defensemen, the Wild were not the only team that pursued him heavily before landing him. In fact, based on a recent report, an Atlantic Division club was very much in the mix for Hughes before the Wild ended up winning the sweepstakes for his services.
Red Wings Among Clubs Confirmed to Have Made Legitimate Offers for Hughes
NHL insider Pierre LeBrun reported in his latest column for The Athletic that the Detroit Red Wings were one of six clubs that made “legitimate offers” to the Canucks for Hughes before the Wild successfully acquired him.
“The New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers are among those six teams confirmed to have made legitimate offers. The Devils feel they made a strong first offer. I can also confirm that the Buffalo Sabres and Carolina Hurricanes showed interest,” LeBrun wrote.
The Red Wings were one of the teams that were consistently linked to Hughes once he entered the rumor mill. Thus, hearing that they made a serious offer to the Wild for his services is not surprising in the slightest.
With the Red Wings currently looking to break their nine-year playoff drought, it makes all the sense in the world that they pushed hard to try to acquire Hughes. When looking at their current blueline, there is no question that they could have used him. It is no secret that the Red Wings would benefit by improving the left side of their defense, and landing a superstar like Hughes would have done that in a major way.
Had the Red Wings landed Hughes, he could have formed a fantastic top pairing with star blueliner Moritz Seider. In addition, he would have given the Red Wings a big weapon to work with on their power play.
Red Wings Will Now Need to Explore Their Options Elsewhere
Now that the Red Wings have missed out on Hughes, there is no question that they should explore their options elsewhere. The Red Wings are currently in a prime spot to make at least one move, as they have roughly $11 million of cap space. With this kind of money, the Red Wings could make multiple notable additions to their roster if they wish to.
The Red Wings are also in the very competitive Atlantic Division, so that also should spark them to be aggressive. While they currently sit in second place in the Atlantic, teams like the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Florida Panthers are right behind them. Thus, now seems like the right time for Detroit to make a big splash, whether it is to improve their blueline or forward group.
Yet, unfortunately for the Red Wings, they did not get their top target in Hughes.
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