Before the season even started, there was one player subject of trade rumors, and that was Quinn Hughes. The defenseman tried his best to downplay potentially being moved by the Vancouver Canucks, stressing that he'd like to see the direction of the team as the season progresses. The Canucks opened up for business and Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster.
Even though the trade is one, a new report says that Hughes ha his eyes on another team.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed on his 32 Thoughts podcast that he heard that Hughes wanted to go to the Detroit Red Wings. However, Wings general manager Steve Yzerman balked at the high asking price it would take to get Hughes without the guarantee of a contract extension.
"We talked about with Quinn Hughes, like Hughes wanted to go to the Red Wings. He was one of the teams that he was very interested in. But Steve Yzerman wasn't doing that without an extension," Friedman said.
Steve Yzerman passed on Quinn Hughes trade for Red Wings
This could very well come back to haunt the Red Wings. Sure, Yzerman may have been looking to get that security of having Hughes under contract for the foreseeable future. But, how likely is it that a player of Hughes' caliber hits the trade market? Let's not forget, Hughes is familiar with Michigan, a state where he played for both the U.S. development program and U of M.
The Wild did everything in their power to ensure they received one of the top defensemen in the game. To facilitate the move, Minnesota sent over Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick. Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin made the trade, and did so without signing Hughes, who is set to hit free agency after the 2026-27 season, to an extension. That didn't matter to the Wild, as they see their Stanley Cup window being open, and they went for it.
The Red Wings are still in decent shape this season. They are currently in first place in the Atlantic Division, as they hold a 28-16-4 record and 60 points through 47 games. Yet, they find themselves in a three-way battle with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens in the division. Imagine how much better they'd be if they had Hughes and Moritz Seider as their top defensive pair? Talk about elite.
The Red Wings had the opportunity to really go for it, and it might end up haunting them.