Elliotte Friedman discloses when Quinn Hughes reached breaking point and informed Canucks of his wish to not extend Vancouver

The Vancouver Canucks took the bold decision of trading captain Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Friday. As expected, they received a big haul, which included forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet's Saturday Headlines segment on Saturday said that Hughes was unhappy and made his intentions clear to not sign an extension with the club.

"The best information I could get in the aftermath of this shocking trade, which Martine Gaillard reminded me last night, I never saw coming, that is that [Hughes] informed them I believe right before US Thanksgiving, around that time, as the Canucks were losing. He was really having trouble dealing with it," Friedman reported. "If you're a Canucks fan, you saw it. If you're a Canuck watcher, you saw it. He was really struggling with the losing and it was right around that time before US Thanksgiving that the Canucks were informed he would not be signing an extension with them this summer and that's when the Canucks really stepped things up."

Hughes was eligible for a contract extension at the end of the season. He is attached to a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million AAV) signed back in 2021. During his time in Vancouver, Hughes emerged as the highest scoring defenseman in franchise history with 432 points.

Team success was always going to be important for a player of such high caliber. Things looked hopeful after the Canucks won the Pacific Division in 2023-24 and had a good core of players like J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson, Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser that surrounded Hughes.

But after the Miller and Pettersson public feud last season led to the former's trade to the New York Rangers and inconsistent performances from other key members, the Canucks fell from grace. Head coach Rick Tocchet left for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Under Adam Foote, they have started their season with an 11-17-3 record and are currently last in the division. Right before Thanksgiving on Nov. 27, Canucks had lost three of their previous four games. They have had it even tougher with a 1-5-1 record since then.

Minnesota Wild beat out New Jersey Devils for Quinn Hughes

Before the Minnesota Wild, it was the New Jersey Devils that looked certain to get Quinn Hughes as the 26-year-old had made his intentions clear of playing with his brother Luke and Jack in New Jersey. However, the trade couldn't be made as the Devils couldn't control their salary cap as per Friedman.

"I think there were two teams that weren't really afraid of that," Friedman added on Saturday. "Number one was Minnesota because I think Bill Guerin's not afraid of anything. And the other one I believe was New Jersey because I just think they felt they're in a really good position. New Jersey, they could not clear the cap room." "And I think they've got some clauses there that were honestly and fairly negotiated that prevented them from doing what they needed to do to open up spots. And I think Minnesota just said, "We're going for it."

The Devils will get their opportunity in 2027 when the former Norris Trophy winner becomes an unrestricted free agent. Till then, the Minnesota Wild will have a good chance of adding a Stanley Cup, pairing him up with forward Kirill Kaprizov.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy