The dust is still settling from the Quinn Hughes trade between the Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild last week, but one person involved in the deal believes both teams will ultimately benefit from it.
"It was a win-win in the sense that I do believe they got a good return, and it's a good spot for Quinn," Hughes' agent Pat Brisson said in an interview on The Fan Hockey Show. "He wants to have a great hockey experience at this point and hopefully win a Cup."
The Wild landed Hughes in a Friday night blockbuster that saw Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a 2026 first-round pick go back to the Canucks.
Brisson confirmed that talks about a potential Hughes deal began around U.S. Thanksgiving, and he credited the Canucks for how they handled the situation, given that Hughes doesn't have trade protection and could have been moved anywhere.
"The organization was very classy along the way, from (owner) Francesco Aquilini to (president Jim Rutherford) to (general manager Patrik Allvin)," Brisson said. "And quite frankly, if I can say this, but if the deal didn't make sense, in other words, if it was something that Quinn wasn't going to be happy with, I'm pretty sure they would have moved in a different direction. They worked extremely well with us, as if we had a no-trade clause almost."
Hughes, 26, is eligible to sign a contract extension with the Wild on July 1. While it has been speculated that Hughes' ultimate goal is to join his brothers Jack and Luke on the New Jersey Devils, Brisson stressed that his client arrives in Minnesota with an open mind.
"I can't predict what's going to happen in the future, I really can't," Brisson said. "What Quinn wants to do now, he wants to play great hockey. He wants to enjoy having a great hockey experience and take it from here."
With a goal in his debut with the Wild, it hasn't taken Hughes long to hit his stride with his new team. Time will tell if the addition can bring a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey.
