The Detroit Red Wings took a hard stance in their negotiations with the Vancouver Canucks for Quinn Hughes. The highly-rated defenseman was previously linked with a handful of teams in recent weeks. Detroit was even seen by insiders as potentially the frontrunner for Hughes. Nevertheless, the Canucks ultimately sent the star to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade.
After the massive deal was completed, it was revealed that the Red Wings were one of the teams to make an offer for Hughes. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has now revealed his thoughts on why Detroit could not manage to land Hughes. Speaking on his 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman suggested that the Red Wings may have refused to include Simon Edvinsson in the deal.
“I think there was always a match there if [Detroit and Vancouver] wanted to do it,” said Friedman. “You know, it takes two to tango. But you look up and down Detroit’s roster and you say, ‘they could do this.’ I heard that they really didn’t get far because there was something Vancouver wanted from Detroit that the Red Wings would not include.”
“And I don’t know this, but I have wondered if that was Edvinsson…. And so I don’t think it ever got as close as I thought it could. My suspicion is Edvinsson, I just don’t know that.”
Detroit Red Wings Rate Simon Edvinsson Very Highly
GettySimon Edvinsson is likely headed for stardom in Detroit.
Edvinsson is a former sixth overall pick by the Red Wings in the 2021 NHL draft. The massive 6’6″, 222-pound blueliner is typically deployed alongside star Mo Seider by head coach Todd McLellan. Edvinsson currently has 10 points in 30 games so far this season and averages nearly 22 minutes of ice time.
Vancouver clearly wanted both a quality center and a left-handed defenseman to sanction a deal for Hughes. Detroit was thought to be in a good place in negotiations with the Canucks because they have solid center depth. This is something that most teams around the league lack at the moment.
Despite this, the Red Wings seemingly opted against moving Edvinsson to grab Hughes. Vancouver quickly pivoted and sent Hughes to Minnesota for center Marco Rossi, left-sided defenseman Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick. Buium, like Edvinsson, is a budding star in defense and a significant reason why Vancouver was willing to let go of Hughes.
Detroit Remains in Solid Place Despite Failed Trade
Vancouver receiving a fairly major haul for Hughes is not necessarily surprising. Nevertheless, the move by Minnesota is very risky. The dynamic defenseman’s contract is set to expire in the summer of 2027. Hughes switched teams without signing an extension with the Wild. This means that Minnesota could give up huge assets for just 18 months of Hughes.
Despite missing out on the Hughes sweepstakes, Detroit is in a good position moving forward. The Red Wings are currently second in the Atlantic Division standings, while holding on to their top youngsters and still having some financial flexibility. They can now focus on getting a more defensive-minded blueliner or a forward to help add more offense.
Red Wings Refused to Include Key Player in Hughes Trade