The Vancouver Canucks' front office has known for months that the team's captain was unlikely to stick around long term.
Now the Quinn Hughes era has officially come to an end.
Vancouver dealt the superstar defenceman to the Minnesota Wild on Friday for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and the Wild's first-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft.
"It's definitely not an easy day for the franchise here," Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said on a video call Friday night. "Quinn Hughes has been a big part of the organization and a great person and a great hockey player. He has a lot of records.
"Tough, tough day. But we're also excited about the return of the players we got here, the younger players."
The move comes amid an ugly season for Vancouver where the team has gone 11-17-3 and sits last in the overall league standings.
Hughes remained among the faint bright spots for the struggling franchise, with 23 points this season, including two goals.
Asked after Vancouver's 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday whether talk about his future was affecting the locker room, Hughes said he was more impacted by his team's lack of success.
“I mean, I'm obviously human, and I feel stuff. But for me, I feel more the results and where we are in standings. I mean that probably affects me more," he said.
“I'm just trying to do everything I can. I mean, you watch me play. I'm trying to bring it every night and be a good teammate, and that's what I'm trying to do.”
Picked seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 draft, the 26-year-old from Orlando, Fla., has long been Vancouver's top talent.
Over 459 regular-season games, Hughes amassed 432 points, and set a new record for points by a Canucks defenceman in October when he passed Alex Edler (409).
There was speculation, though, that he would not re-sign with the Canucks following the expiration of the six-year, US$47.1-million deal he signed in October 2021. Hughes is not eligible for an extension until July 1, 2026.
Questions about his future in Vancouver bubbled up in September after his younger brother, New Jersey Devils centre Jack Hughes, said he'd love to play with Quinn "at some point."
The eldest Hughes brother — youngest brother Luke Hughes also plays in New Jersey — is not a free agent until July 2027, and responded to Jack's comments by saying it would be fun to play with his siblings, but he was focused on his team.
"I'm excited to be in Vancouver, and I feel like last year was a little bit of a failure. I feel like I've got things to do there," he said. "And I know Jack loves Jersey, and he's got stuff to do also."
Allvin said it came to the team's attention about a year ago that a new team "was the path that maybe Quinn wants to go."
“We were hoping, the ownership was trying to do everything, we were trying to do everything, to convince him to stay and try to work through it," he said.
When the blue liner couldn't be swayed, the Canucks started talking to potential trade partners, Allvin added.
“Obviously, a deal like this doesn’t come through in just one day," the GM said. "It’s been going on for a couple of weeks here where we felt this was, unfortunately, where we were heading with Quinn. And trying to maximize the return for Quinn Hughes.”
When Vancouver made him captain ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, the young star responded by posting a career-high 92 points and leading his team to the top of the Pacific Division. He added another two goals and 14 assists over 17 playoff appearances before the Canucks ultimately fell to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of a second-round series.
Hughes' play earned him the 2024 Norris Trophy, awarded annually to the league's top defenceman.
He was nominated for the honour again in 2025 after injuries curtailed his season and kept him from playing for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
Without their leader — and other key players — in the lineup the Canucks struggled and finished the 2024-25 campaign with a 38-30-14 record, missing the playoffs by six points.
Now, the team is struggling to get out of the NHL's basement.
Allvin admitted the situation is a far cry from where Vancouver sat in the spring of 2024.
“I thought we had a great team, we had a great run. We were very excited about where we were. And unfortunately, things happened," he said.
"And you’ve got to be able to adapt, adjust, retool. And I think that’s what we started with last year in the (Miller) trade. And unfortunately, today was another step in that direction, to get the new younger players in here and start to continue to build a championship team.”
Those young players include Rossi, Ohgren and Buium.
The 24-year-old Rossi has played all 202 regular-season games of his NHL career for the Wild. The five-foot-nine, 182-pound Austrian has four goals and nine assists in 17 games for Minnesota this season.
Ohgren, 21, has split the campaign between Minnesota and the franchise's American Hockey League affiliate, the Iowa Wild, where he's recorded three goals and two assists over nine contests.
Buium made his NHL debut in last year's playoffs, notching one assist over four post-season appearances. He's played in 31 games for Minnesota this season, amassing three goals and 11 assists over 31 games.
The 20-year-old former NCAA national champion is tied for second in points among rookie defencemen.
Canucks fans should eagerly anticipate the team's new additions, Allvin said.
“I think they should be excited about the youth that’s coming in here," he said.
