When the Red Wings came up short in the Quinn Hughes chase, it was easy to wonder whether Detroit had let a franchise-altering move slip away. But the more you look at the reported framework, the clearer it gets: even if the deal had gone through, it may not have solved the Red Wings’ bigger problems.
The price tag alone tells part of the story. Minnesota reportedly paid with its best defensive prospect, its top forward prospect, Marco Rossi, and a first-round pick.
For Detroit, the ask was said to be different, with Simon Edvinsson in the mix - and likely Edvinsson plus Marco Kasper or Nate Danielson, along with a roster player and a first-round pick. Hughes would obviously be a step up from Edvinsson offensively, and he’d bring more overall value than Edvinsson currently gives the Red Wings.
But that upgrade wouldn’t have come cheap.
And even with Hughes in the fold, Detroit still would have been staring at the same brutal Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay, Montreal, Buffalo and Ottawa all improved in some form this offseason, and the Red Wings would still be fighting for one Wild Card spot.
If they did manage to get into the 2025-26 playoffs, the path wouldn’t exactly get friendlier - they’d be looking at either Buffalo or the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes. That’s a tough road for a team that still wouldn’t have the depth needed for a real Cup push.
There’s also the Dylan Larkin piece, which makes the whole thing even messier. If the rumors are accurate, Larkin’s relationship with Steve Yzerman was already strained.
And since Minnesota is on Larkin’s three (four?) team trade list, there’s no guarantee he would have been any more comfortable staying in Detroit just because Hughes arrived.
Then comes the biggest risk of all: the contract situation. Bill Guerin is under enormous pressure because Hughes is a pending unrestricted free agent, and if Minnesota can’t lock him up, the Wild could end up paying a massive price for only a season and a half of Hughes before he potentially leaves to join his brothers on the New Jersey Devils. That’s the nightmare scenario Detroit would have inherited if it had pulled the trigger without certainty on an extension.
Former Detroit sports reporter Keith Gave said the Red Wings had a deal in place but backed out because Hughes wouldn’t agree to a handshake extension. Gave later added: “You are misinformed, like many others.
Steve Yzerman and Vancouver had agreed to a trade for Quinn Hughes. It was a done deal ON THE CONDITION that Hughes agreed to a long-term deal with Detroit.
Yzerman and Hughes spoke directly. Hughes declined.
Wings sure tried.”
So while it’s fair to play the what-if game, this may be one of those moves that looks better on paper than it would have in practice. Sometimes the smartest deal is the one you never make.
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