Quinn Hughes is headed back to Vancouver sooner than expected.
The Minnesota Wild’s schedule release on Thursday brought the date into focus: Oct. 25, when Hughes will face the Canucks for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him to Minnesota last December. It lands in the middle of a tough early slate for the Wild, who play 10 of their first 14 games and 20 of their first 30 on the road, but it also gives Hughes an immediate reunion with the team where he started his NHL career.
That move from Vancouver to Minnesota was one of the biggest swings of the season. The Wild sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick (Adam Novotny) to the Canucks in the deal, and the trade quickly paid off.
Hughes posted five goals and 53 points in 48 regular-season games for Minnesota, then added four goals and 15 points during the Wild’s 11-game playoff run. He also won a gold medal with the United States Olympic team last February.
Even with all that, one box remains unchecked: a visit back to Vancouver.
Hughes was the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and spent more than seven seasons with the Canucks, building a resume that put him among the franchise’s best defensemen. He leads Vancouver defensemen in points with 432 and goals with 61, while ranking 12th in games played with 459.
That production helped him become an All-Star in 2019-20 and 2023-24, and he won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman in 2023-24. He was also named the 15th captain in Canucks history in Sept.
But the relationship eventually fractured. Hughes informed Vancouver he would not sign a contract extension when his deal expires after the 2026-27 season, and that set the stage for his move to Minnesota.
What kind of reception he gets on Oct. 25 is still an open question. Some Canucks fans blame former general manager Patrik Alvin for failing Hughes, while others put the blame on Hughes himself, saying he didn’t provide the leadership needed to steady the locker room and quit on the team after Vancouver made the playoffs in 2023-24. Hughes also stirred that side of the fan base with his comments before the Wild hosted Vancouver on April 2.
The Canucks are a different group now, too, after trading five players at the deadline, which only adds another layer to the night. However it plays out, Hughes’ first trip back to Vancouver is set to be an emotional one.
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