Matthew and Brady Tkachuk react to 'GOAT' Quinn Hughes' trade to Wild - "I was beyond shocked"

Matthew and Brady Tkachuk shared their honest reaction to Quinn Hughes being traded to the Minnesota Wild. The discussion came on Wednesday’s episode of 'Wingmen with Matthew & Brady Tkachuk.' Both brothers admitted the move stunned them. Hughes' leaving Vancouver caught many players around the league off guard.

"This one [Hughes' Trade] that kind of caught me by surprise," Matthew said. "I was beyond shocked,"

Brady did not hold back in his praise for Hughes. He called the trade massive and labeled Hughes among the very best in the league.

"What a deal. I mean, that's top two defensemen in the NHL getting traded," Brady said. "That's, I mean, it's insane, the package that they [Minnesota] had for him... Quinn's the GOAT. Quinn's unreal. And he's such a great guy. I know how excited he is.

Minnesota acquired Quinn Hughes from Vancouver last Friday. The Canucks received Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick. Hughes has won the Norris Trophy in 2024 after posting 92 points. He also holds the Canucks record for points by a defenseman.

Later, Brady, who played with him in the past, talked about what makes Hughes so good.

"I mean, his skating is undeniably unbelievable. It's just like the edges and like the little moves that he can make. But, I mean, it's his care and his will to win. He always is pushing himself to be better, you know, not just in the gym, and on the ice, but just anything in life... "I think he is taking that. Maybe, he just wants to keep getting better, keep growing...You always try to hit him. You can't so he's just always has the puck."

Matthew then explained why Hughes would be a dream teammate. From a winger’s view, Hughes’ movement opens the ice. He talked about how quickly Hughes beats the first layer of defense. That skill creates clean looks near the net.

"Watching him, and being a right winger with a left defenseman, that's like that," Matthew said. "That moves that well. Like we play, like, pretty man on man too - up top. Like, if you got - my guys Quinn, like, my guys quit, that sucks, but it is what it is. "He's so good. It's just getting it just by the first layer, and just putting it right on net. So, like, a guy to be at the net, like, that's a dream for me to have him ripping pucks me all day. So he's an incredible producer of, like, chance obviously, points, but offensively, man, like he dominates the game. It's f***ing crazy."

Quinn Hughes' impressive debut with Minnesota Wild

Quinn Hughes has already made his presence felt in Minnesota. The 26-year-old has 25 points in 28 games this season. He averages more than 27 minutes per night. Since the trade, he scored in his debut and added an assist in his second game.

Wild GM Bill Guerin said opportunities like this are rare.

"Bringing a player like Quinn Hughes here, you just don’t get this opportunities all that often," Guerin said, via NHL.

Quinn Hughes remains under contract through the 2026-27 season.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is 20-9-5 and rolling. Hughes has lifted their blue line right away. Around the league, players are still processing the shock. The Tkachuk brothers have perfectly explained the type of game-changing defenseman Minnesota has acquired.

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Edited by Ankit Kumar