For those who don’t know, there are some strange coincidences between my personal life and the Detroit Red Wings.
First, our son Emmett was born and the Red Wings selected Emmett Finney in the next draft. The seventh-round pick then had two years to warm up. Then, as I watched, Detroit selected Carter Bear in the 2025 NHL Draft Bear.
Why is this important? Well, we just had our second child and named her Quinn. As it happens, the Red Wings have been linked to Vancouver Canucks star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
So, can lightning strike three times? Based on Detroit’s roster and prospect pool, there’s certainly enough ammunition to make a sizable offer to Vancouver.
Red Wings’ potential trade for Quinn Hughes
Before discussing the relevant actors, it is necessary to outline some considerations. First, as always, the Red Wings are not just negotiating with the Canucks, they’re negotiating with other teams as well. This isn’t two teams working in a vacuum to make a deal.
In addition, Hughes’ contract is valid for the 2026-27 season, which means that he cannot renew his contract until July 1, 2026. There is no sign-and-trade here. At this point, there’s no guarantee that Hughes would sign an extension if he was able to — whether with Vancouver, Detroit or any other team if traded there.
In the end, the Canucks didn’t have Trade Hughes. He’s not forcing a deal, and that’s what the Red Wings can offer if Vancouver chooses to make a move now.
trading:
- Detroit gets: LD Quinn Hughes
- Vancouver gets: C Nate Danielson, G Trey Augustine, LD Albert Johansson, LW Max Plante and an unprotected 2026 first-round pick.
It takes a lot of money to acquire a player of Hughes’ caliber. What the Red Wings essentially traded was two first-round picks (Danielson and a 2026 pick), which is essentially another first-round pick for Augustin, and two solid former second-round picks in Johnson and Plant.
Starting with Danielson, Vancouver gets a two-way hub with secondary upside. He will be well behind Elias Pettersson moving forward. From what I understand, the Canucks are looking for a quality center and are interested in Danielson returning for the 2023 NHL Draft.
Augustin would give Vancouver a goaltender of the future who could eventually replace Thatcher Demko. He is expected to turn pro after the 2025-26 season at Michigan State and should start for Abbotsford (AHL) in 2026-27.
Trey Augustin made quick saves in the second period to silence the Raiders! pic.twitter.com/2TEJ66kT3u
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) November 28, 2025
In Johnson, the Canucks get a young left back who has the upside to balance out their defensive mix. Marcus Pettersson will join Filip Hronek on the first pair, while Johnson will line up with either Tyler Myers or Tom Willander. Johnson excels at ice steals and transitions and can mesh well with key defensemen like Myers.
Ultimately, Plant and the first-round pick represent future assets. Plant – the nation’s leading scorer – will likely turn pro this spring like Augustin, but might be better off spending another year at the college level.
Related: Red Wings Composite Prospect Rankings Entering 2025-26
Vancouver’s take on Detroit mock trade offer
To assess whether the proposed offer meets Vancouver’s expectations, I reached out to THW colleague and lead Canucks reporter Matthew Zator for his insight. Here’s what he had to say:
“As much as I like Danielson and his potential to be another Bo Horvat,” Zator said, “I think the Canucks would be more willing to select Marco Casper. He has more upside as a top-six center and the front office is reportedly targeting him high in the 2022 draft.
“Augustin is an interesting piece of the puzzle. The Canucks don’t have a goaltender with starting upside in their system, and they need to find replacements after Demko and Kevin Lankinen’s contracts expire. He could be the answer to that problem for a long time.
“I’m not impressed with Johnson, the defenseman in this proposal. He has the potential to be a top-four player, but is a long way from replacing Hughes on the blue line. Axel Sandin-Pelica would be my target in any trade involving Hughes.
“Finally, Max Plant definitely looks like a legitimate future NHL player, especially after everything he’s done so far in the NCAA. I really like him as a trade prospect. Overall, while this may be a steep price, the addition of Sandin-Pelica or Kasper instead of Danielson or Johnson would further push this deal to get done.”
last word
If Vancouver wants to trade Quinn Hughes now, the Red Wings have the ability to make it happen. That said, the cost will be significant and may require organizations to consider players who were previously considered untouchable.
The addition of Hughes would immediately elevate Detroit’s blueline to near the top of the league. Add in Seidel, Edwinson and Sandin Pelica (if he’s not included in the trade), and the Red Wings would have a truly elite defensive core.
