By now, everyone has heard the news surrounding the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks and the monumental trade that sent Quinn Hughes to Minnesota in exchange for Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and Liam Öhgren, plus a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. It was a trade that rocked the NHL world and it will be talked about for quite some time.
The day following the trade, the Minnesota Wild hosted the Ottawa Senators, Saturday afternoon, Dec. 13, and before the game, general manager Bill Guerin took time to speak to the media about the trade. Then, after the game, several players were available to discuss their feelings about it as well. In this article, we’ll take a look at both Guerin and the players’ reactions, starting with why the team went after Hughes.
Guerin & Team on Why Hughes
Several times when asked about why the Wild tried to get Hughes, the first answer out of anyone’s mouth was “Because it’s Quinn Hughes.” Just the mention of his name was enough to know why this was a big trade and why he was worth going for.
“The way he skates, I mean, the way he skates is something like I’ve never seen before, and he’s a good leader, he’s a good person from everyone that I’ve talked to about him, and just seems like all his teammates love him and everyone that’s played with him loves him. Like I said, the way he skates, how skilled he is, he’s a competitor too, he wants to win, and there’s a lot to admire about his game,” said Brock Faber when asked what there was to admire about Hughes.
“He’s one of the best players in this league and… when you play against him, he obviously (has) great offense and how he’s skating right now and how his IQ in the game and how he reads the game, a lot of good good things….,” Kirill Kaprizov said when asked about Hughes’ game.
“Yeah, it’s super exciting, it’s a big-time move and makes our team better. He’s one of the best defensemen, if not the best, in the whole league, so that’s pretty exciting. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who says it’s not,” said Matt Boldy when asked about how exciting it was to get a player like Hughes.
“He’s one of the players in the league, he’s a tremendous competitor. He’s a great skater, but his ability to make plays, he’s a dynamic player on the breakout, transition, obviously rush offense, power play, these guys, there’s lots of players in this league. It’s the best league in the world where they can play, but he has that elite mind that he can see plays before they happen. He can turn plays that some guys can’t make, and that’s what makes him a special player,” head coach John Hynes said when asked about what makes Hughes a great player.
Guerin on Doing It Right
One of the items that Guerin stressed in this interview and others before, when trades are involved, is how important it is to treat the players right. As a former player who’s been involved in trades himself, he knows how it feels and what that can do to a player, so he emphasized how important it was to do this right for both sides. Of course, he has to think of the team first, but that can be done alongside treating the players the right way.
“From what Jim (Rutherford) tells me, obviously, listen when you’re dealing with players of this caliber, guys that have done so much for your organization, I think, and that’s why I love Jim. You want to do right by the player as well…the first thing is accomplishing what you need for the team, but then there is a human element into it, and I think we satisfied both parties, everything in that,” Guerin said about Hughes knowing what was going on.
“Yeah I’m very proud, look I love Minnesota, our players love Minnesota, this is a great place to play but no matter what, whether you have good weather, good taxes, good I don’t know whatever, hockey has to be good. The hockey has to be, you can live in the sun, you can move, live in these great places, or make a little more money, but if the hockey’s not good, you won’t be happy, so that’s what really matters, if the hockey is good. If your job is good, you will be happy, and I think Quinn will be really happy here,” Guerin said about how it felt that he was able to get Hughes to come to Minnesota.
Guerin Has Belief
From his first day with the organization to now, Guerin has always held fast in that he believes this team can go all the way. Through all the ups and downs, the struggles with the cap space, and the almost never-ending injuries, he’s held to it. Now that he has brought Hughes into the mix, it shows how much he truly believes this team can do it all.
“I’ve always said I believe in our players, I believe in this team, I believe in what we’re doing here, and I think adding somebody like Quinn. I think the guys are happy and…we have an extremely competitive division, you’re going through the meat grinder here, and we respect our opponents, but we want to do our own thing too, and we want to compete for the Stanley Cup,” Guerin said about his strong belief in this team.
“I mean, it’s going to be great, you can never have too many leaders. I think with Quinn, too, he’s a soft-spoken guy. His leadership comes on the ice in his play. It’s always nice to have another leader in your room. They come in lots of different shapes, sizes, forms, whatever, but he is a leader,” Guerin added when asked about the leadership qualities Hughes brings.
“I’m confident, I’m confident. We’ve built, over this is year seven for me, so over the last six years we’ve built up our assets in prospects, picks, whatever it is. We have flexibility in our cap so we can still do stuff,” Guerin said about still being able to move and add pieces with the cap space they have.
Guerin & Team on Losing Pieces
The hardest part about any trade is when the player has to leave their team and head to a new one. While they are professionals and understand this is a part of the game, they still build relationships and have almost brother-type bonds that are difficult to leave behind. Plus, if they have a family that lives in the city, it’s hard to uproot them sometimes across the country. In this case, the Wild gave up three young, strong players who have bright futures in the league, and it was hard to let them go.
“Yeah, it was a good night last night. Bringing a player like Quinn Hughes here, you just don’t get these opportunities all that often. Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren all great kids, great players with bright futures. Definitely hard to part with guys that you draft, develop, spend time with and get to know them, their families, but like I said when a player of Quinn’s caliber comes available, you have an opportunity to get him, there’s a cost to it and we were willing to do what it takes,” said Guerin in his opening statement to the media following the acquisition of Hughes and what it means to lose Rossi, Buium, and Öhgren.
Related: Wild Give a Lot to Gain a Lot in Trade For Quinn Hughes
“That’s obviously the downside of it. Me and him got pretty tight over the past few months, so it’s the worst part about this job, and that’s basically the only thing that I would ever say is bad about this job. It sucks to see him go but I’m happy for him and I think it’s going to be a good fit there, I think he’s going to play a lot, such an incredible player for just turned 20, he’s a teenager, it’ll be good for him, and I’m excited to see what he does there just nothing against us.” Faber said when asked about losing Buium.
“That’s why this deal just works, because Marco (Rossi) was a big part of this team, he could play with Zuccy (Zuccarello) and Kirill (Kaprizov), he could play with Moose (Foligno) and Trenny (Trenin), he could play anywhere up and down the lineup he’s a smart player, he produces 60 points last year, it’s not easily replaced but we’re also adding a guy that has had a 90 point season as a defenseman. The way he runs a power play, just the way he moves the puck, and I think it’s a win/win,” said Guerin about losing Rossi but gaining Hughes.
This trade was huge for both sides, and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out in the long run. The Wild are clearly very happy with their acquisition, as are the Canucks. Hopefully, Hughes can play a pivotal role in getting the Wild all the way.
