Exposed: reason why Detroit blew a possible monster Quinn Hughes trade

Back in December, the Vancouver Canucks made a franchise-altering move, sending captain and star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. In return, Vancouver landed a massive haul: blue-chip defense prospect Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi, winger Liam Öhgren, and a 2026 first-round pick. A return widely viewed as the equivalent of four first-round assets.

But Minnesota wasn’t the only team pushing hard for Hughes.

According to multiple reports, at least six NHL teams seriously pursued the elite blue liner, including the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and New Jersey Devils. And as it turns out, Detroit may have been one of Hughes’ preferred destinations.

On a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, insider Elliotte Friedman revealed why a deal with the Red Wings ultimately fell apart, and it came down to one firm line in the sand from general manager Steve Yzerman.

“We talked about it with Quinn Hughes - he wanted to go to the Red Wings, they were one of the teams he was very interested in,” Friedman explained. “But Yzerman wasn’t doing that without an extension.”

That demand proved to be the deal-breaker.

While details of Detroit’s proposed return were not made public, it’s fair to assume it would have rivaled, or even exceeded, what Vancouver ultimately received from Minnesota. Given the price, Yzerman’s insistence on securing a long-term extension before sacrificing premium assets is easy to understand.

Still, the revelation has split the fanbase.

Some Red Wings fans will applaud their GM for refusing to mortgage the future without cost certainty. Others will be left wondering whether Detroit let a rare opportunity slip away, one that could have instantly transformed their blue line.

Either way, this much is now clear: Detroit didn’t lose out on Quinn Hughes by accident. They walked away and Yzerman was willing to live with the consequences.