4 Quinn Hughes trades the Canucks might be forced to make
And is it time to accept this is the most likely way forward?
The Vancouver Canucks needed this season to go well.
They needed to get off to a strong start, put last season’s drama behind them, and reach the playoffs. Showing they could be competitive was widely deemed crucial to keeping Quinn Hughes happy and maximizing their chance of signing the star defenceman to an extension.
The first 23 games have been a disaster. The Canucks have a .435 points percentage, the third-worst mark in the league. Hockey analytics site MoneyPuck gives them a better chance of getting the first overall pick than making the playoffs.
While they’ve been unlucky in certain ways this year, this team, as currently constructed, is a long way off from being a true contender. There’s a growing pile of evidence that the only way forward might be to tear this thing down.
The Canucks seem unwilling to go down that path. President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford said, “A rebuild is not something that we’re going to look at doing,” to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre in a recent interview.
But Rutherford might have no choice. With every passing loss, it feels more and more unlikely that captain Quinn Hughes will re-sign long-term. If the former Norris Trophy winner makes it clear he’s not committed to the Canucks long term, they will be forced to trade him.
That trade would be a franchise-altering move. What might it look like? By taking a look at the different factors to consider and some recent examples from around the league, we can build some hypotheticals that give us an idea of the return to expect.
While Hughes is undoubtedly one of the two best defencemen on planet earth, his trade value will change depending on his preferences.
The biggest question is whether Hughes is willing to commit to his new team long term. He could either agree to an extension with the Canucks in a sign-and-trade or sign a deal with his new team. If Hughes isn’t willing to make that commitment, then he won’t fetch as much.
However, if the Canucks opt to trade Hughes before this year’s deadline, a scenario that is becoming more realistic by the day, the acquiring team will have his services for at least two playoff runs. That will still command a high price, even if no long-term extension is in place yet.
Will Hughes force his way to the New Jersey Devils to play with his brothers? Or will he be open to joining any contender with an exciting future? That is the question that must be answered before
It’s not often superstars like Hughes get traded in hockey or any major professional sports league in North America. It’s even more rare that the team trading them away gets the better end of the deal.
There are some examples across sports history of teams trading their superstar and coming out ahead. The Dallas Cowboys famously turned Herschel Walker into eight draft picks and three Super Bowls. More recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder sent Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a boatload of draft capital they’re still hoarding.
It’s difficult to find any trades in recent NHL history that are direct comparables to what Quinn Hughes could fetch if he hits the market. However, there have been a few big-name blueliners who have moved teams in recent years.
Noah Dobson Trade - June 27, 2025
To Montreal Canadiens: Noah Dobson
To New York Islanders: Emil Heineman, 2025 First-Round Pick (16th Overall), 2025 First-Round Pick (17th Overall)
Noah Dobson is the most recent top-pair defenceman to get traded. He fetched two mid-first-round picks and a roster player in Emil Heineman. The two picks were already set in the draft order, so the Islanders knew where they would fall.
Dobson did sign a massive eight-year extension as part of this deal. That helped the Islanders get as large a return as possible.
Hughes is a better player than Dobson. No one will debate that. That means his price should be higher than this, no matter if he’s willing to commit to an extension or not.
Erik Karlsson Trade - August 6, 2023
To Pittsburgh Penguins: Erik Karlsson (15% retained), Rem Pitlick, Dillon Hamaliuk, 2026 Third-Round Pick
To San Jose Sharks: Mikael Granlund, Jan Rutta, Mike Hoffman, 2024 First-Round Pick
To Montreal Canadiens: Jeff Petry (25% retained), Casey DeSmith, Nathan Legare, 2025 Second-Round Pick
This three-team deal is a bit more confusing for developing a framework, but it is still a good example of a top-tier defenceman being traded. Erik Karlsson was coming off a 25-goal, 101-point season when this deal was made.
The Penguins sent Mikael Granlund, Jan Rutta, Casey DeSmith, Jeff Petry, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Karlsson and some other minor pieces.
The first-round pick was top-10 protected, and none of the players surrendered by the Penguins were true premium assets.
Karlsson was 33 years old and on a massive $11.5 million contract when this deal went down. He’ll be 37 when that contract finishes. Those factors limited the total return he fetched in the trade.
While Hughes hasn’t hit the 100-point mark in his career, he clearly delivers surplus value on his contract (something Karlsson did not at the time of the trade), he has a greater overall impact on the game, and he’s much younger. He should fetch a lot more than a top-10 protected draft pick and a few solid roster players.
Taking into account everything we’ve examined so far, here are four potential Quinn Hughes trades and what the return might look like.
To Canucks: Simon Nemec, Dawson Mercer, 2026 First-Round Pick, 2027 First-Round Pick
To New Jersey Devils: Quinn Hughes
The Devils make the most sense as a destination. Both of Quinn’s brothers are signed long-term with the organization and don’t seem to be going anywhere.
There’s little doubt that if Quinn is joining his brothers in New Jersey, he’s said he wants to commit to the Devils long-term. That also means that the Canucks likely aren’t able to shop him around to other teams and get top value.
The Devils are already one of the NHL’s best teams, and if they add another star defenceman, they’ll be even better. This means their first-round picks aren’t quite as valuable.
The proposed trade above sees the Canucks get two unprotected first-round picks back for Hughes. However, both of those selections are likely to land somewhere in the 20s and, as a result, aren’t the most exciting part of this package.
The key piece the Canucks receive is 21-year-old blueliner Simon Nemec. The former second overall pick has gone through ups and downs during his first few professional seasons, but looks to be putting it all together. He has 13 points so far this season and recently scored his first career hat trick.
While the Devils surely likely to have Nemec on their blue line, his skillset would be slightly redundant if they had Luke and Quinn Hughes.
Nemec will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Canucks could easily give him a long-term extension, which he should exceed as he develops further. They would then have one of the most exciting young defence groups in the league with Nemec, Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson.
Finally, the Canucks also get Dawson Mercer in this trade. The 24-year-old forward can play down the middle or on the wing and has scored at least 17 goals in every season.
Mercer has one more year after this left at $4 million, a solid deal considering his production. The Canucks could use him short-term as additional centre help and then potentially move him to the wing later on, depending on what they need.
To Canucks: Carter Yakemchuk, Shane Pinto, 2027 First-Round Pick, 2026 Third-Round Pick
To Ottawa Senators: Quinn Hughes
If Quinn is open to other teams, the Ottawa Senators could be the right landing spot. “The Senators are lurking, looking to hit a home run,” on the trade market, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and landing Hughes would be a grand slam.
Quinn is also good friends with Senators Brady Tkachuk. These two teams make a lot of sense as trade partners in multiple ways.
While the Senators just signed Shane Pinto to an extension, giving him a four-year, $7.5 million AAV deal, they are trading him away in this scenario. Pinto is off to a great start and has 10 goals and 16 points in 21 games so far this year.
The 25-year-old centre gives the Canucks someone to put behind Elias Pettersson down the middle who has some offensive pop.
The Canucks also get highly touted defence prospect Carter Yakemchuk, who scored 30 goals in the WHL two seasons ago. Yakemchuk is right-handed, so he doesn’t project to fill Hughes’ spot on the top pair, but he could eventually help the team replace some of that offensive production from the blue line.
The Senators don’t have their 2026 first-round pick, so they give up their 2027 selection instead in this hypothetical deal.
To Canucks: Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Nate Danielson, Michael Rasmussen, 2026 1st Round Pick
To Detroit Red Wings: Quinn Hughes
Last but not least, the Canucks could swing a deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Quinn played college hockey at the University of Michigan and resides in Michigan during the summers. The Red Wings shockingly passed on him at the 2018 draft, but could get the chance to rectify their mistake.
The Red Wings are also off to a hot start this season, and bringing in Hughes would elevate them to serious contender territory. They also have more than $10 million in cap space to get creative with.
In this deal, the Canucks would get a first-round pick and young defenceman Axel Sandin-Pelikka as the cornerstone piece. The 20-year-old rookie has six points in 22 games so far, but has shown flashes of future brilliance along the blue line, including at last year’s World Juniors, where he had 10 points in 7 games.
The Canucks would also get former ninth-overall pick Nate Danielson. The 6-foot-2 centre instantly becomes one of the Canucks’ best prospects and helps reinforce their weakest position on the organization’s depth chart.
Finally, the Canucks would bring in British Columbia native Michael Rasmussen as some immediate centre help. The 26-year-old is a solid bottom-six option who has scored at least 10 goals in each of the previous four seasons. He’s got two more years after this at a reasonable $3.2 million cap hit, and at 6-foot-6, he has the size that teams covet.
This package would send the Canucks into a rebuild as there’s not as much present-day value, but it would set them up nicely for the future.
To Canucks: Owen Tippett, Cam York, Jack Nesbitt, 2026 First-Round Pick
To Philadelphia Flyers: Quinn Hughes
Former Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet managed to get the most from Hughes, and the two had an excellent relationship. A reunion could make sense as the Flyers have some interesting pieces they could dangle in a trade.
The deal starts with winger Owen Tippett, who has been in trade rumours this season. The 26-year-old carries a $6.2 million cap hit for another six years after this one and has 13 points in 20 games so far this season.
The Canucks desperately need talent up front, and that’s what Tippett provides. He’s a consistent 20-goal scorer with the upside to get close to 30 in any given year.
Cam York is a left-handed defenceman who could step into the Canucks’ lineup right away. The 24-year-old is averaging more than 24 minutes a night so far this year and is locked up at $5.15 million until the summer of 2030.
Finally, the 2026 first-round pick and former first-round pick centre Jack Nesbitt give the Canucks some assets that could prove to be home runs in the future.
This deal gives the Canucks a few pieces to help now and a few pieces to help down the road as they prepare for a post-Quinn Hughes future.
What do you think will happen with the Canucks and Quinn Hughes? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
They’re all terrible trades. You don’t get value back for a guy like Hughes. He’s a game changer, a franchise superstar and the best player the Canucks have ever had (including the Sedins and Bure). You KEEP Hughes by doing EVERYTHING you can to give him a positive experience here. Can you imagine if Detroit had traded Lidstrom? You only trade superstar D men when they are much older. Not only is Hughes the cornerstone player you build a winner around but he sells tickets all by himself. He’s easily one of the most watchable players in the world these days. Quit quitting on him. Make it work HERE!