Quinn Hughes trade situation takes a turn and this time it involves the Red Wings
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Daniel Lucente
Jun 11, 2026 (12:09)
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Photo credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images
The noise around the Red Wings and Quinn Hughes keeps getting louder, but the story most fans are telling themselves has a critical detail flipped.
Reports from Detroit insider Keith Gave confirmed that Steve Yzerman and Vancouver had a completed trade framework for Hughes.
The deal fell apart not because Yzerman refused to pay the price, but because Hughes himself declined to commit to a long-term extension when he spoke directly with the Red Wings general manager.
That distinction changes the entire conversation. Yzerman did pursue the franchise defenseman. He got to the finish line.
Hughes is the one who walked away from Detroit, reportedly because his long-term priority is joining brothers Jack and Luke with the New Jersey Devils.
Minnesota now owns the same gamble Detroit avoided
The Wild gave up Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick to acquire Hughes from Vancouver in December 2025.
Bill Guerin has called re-signing Hughes his top offseason priority.
Hughes has said he is open to staying in Minnesota, but the New Jersey speculation has followed him since the trade.
Jack Hughes has four years left on his Devils contract. The timeline for a potential family reunion lines up perfectly with Quinn hitting unrestricted free agency after next season.
If Hughes walks, Minnesota loses a Norris Trophy winner and four premium assets with nothing to show for it.
That is the exact outcome Yzerman was trying to prevent.
The real problem in Detroit has nothing to do with Hughes
Dylan Larkin's trade request last week exposed fractures that go far deeper than one missed acquisition.
Detroit went 41-31-10 and still missed the playoffs for a tenth straight season.
Yzerman then spent a first-round pick and a third-rounder on Justin Faulk at the deadline instead.
That package stings now, but it was never going to fix a decade-long drought.
The Hughes anger is easy. The harder truth is that no single trade was saving this roster.
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