.jpg?w=1280 "Quinn Hughes landing spots")
6 Way-Too-Early Trade Destinations for the Quinn Hughes After the Wild's Playoff Elimination
Another elimination. Another change of scenery.
Maybe.
When the Minnesota Wild exited the NHL playoffs on Wednesday night, courtesy of the Colorado Avalanche, the clock began ticking on Quinn Hughes.
The hero of the U.S. Olympic team was plucked midseason from Vancouver by GM Bill Guerin to bolster a Cup run in the Twin Cities.
And while his presence certainly made the team better, the Wild had the misfortune of being in the Central Division and having to face two of the league's top three teams back-to-back.
Hughes has a season remaining on a deal paying $7.85 million annually, and he'll draw plenty of attention at the 2026-27 trade deadline if he hasn't already decided to make Minnesota a long-term home.
B/R's hockey team cranked up its crystal ball and came up with a list of six logical locations. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
New Jersey Devils
1 of 6
The Devils have an edge on the rest of the league, given the presence of former No. 1 overall pick (2019) Jack Hughes and more recent fourth overall selection (2021) Luke Hughes.
And no, it's not just a coincidence of surnames.
The trio of brothers joins the four-piece Staal dynasty as modern rivals to the legendary Sutter family, which had six brothers in the NHL from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Quinn, Jack and Luke have openly pined for a chance to play together, and, if the Wild aren't in the thick of contention as next season evolves, it'd be no shock to the see the eldest sibling go to management with a demand to head east.
Philadelphia Flyers
2 of 6
It'd require a jaunt down the New Jersey Turnpike, but it wouldn't be preposterous to imagine Hughes in black and orange with the Flyers next spring.
Philadelphia experienced a hockey revival this spring, earning a playoff berth and a series win, and coach Rick Tocchet has a happy history with Hughes, having coached him to a Pacific Division title with the Canucks before things went bad in B.C.
The Flyers are loaded with young assets to facilitate a trade and have better than $38 million in projected cap space to accommodate a long-term salary bump, too.
San Jose Sharks
3 of 6
Any fanbase with a superstar at the end of a deal is sweating the Sharks.
The team was in the Western Conference playoff mix until the final week, fell short, is loaded with young talent to swing a deal, and has one of the league's emerging superstars in 100-point teen Macklin Celebrini.
Not to mention projected cap space for days.
Bottom line, if Hughes has any sort of West Coast vibe, GM Mike Grier has plenty of cards to play to get it done.
Chicago Blackhawks
4 of 6
The Devils have brotherly love. The Sharks have prospects aplenty.
But the Blackhawks can offer something not available in Jersey or California:
Original Six swagger.
Chicago isn't as close to the postseason mix as San Jose, but it does have tradition to the rafters, alongside the presence of another young star in Connor Bedard.
Pair that with millions in cap space and a genuine urgency from GM Kyle Davidson to give Bedard some competitive toys to play with, and the former home of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews becomes a legitimate dark horse for Hughes.
Carolina Hurricanes
5 of 6
The Hurricanes have played like a Cup favorite this spring.
And they're built to be a Cup favorite for years to come, too.
So if Hughes is looking for immediate title contention beyond what he's already got in Minnesota, it'd make sense to have Carolina on his mind.
The Hurricanes are deep, structured, solid in goal, and have one of the league's premier coaches in Rod Brind'Amour. And unlike a lot of other teams in the top tier, they've also got collateral and cap space to make a blockbuster happen.
Perhaps not the favorite. But if Hughes wants to be in the mix right now, they're a live dog.
New York Rangers
6 of 6
C'mon, it wouldn't be a Landing Spots piece without the Rangers.
It's New York. It's the Garden. It's a franchise desperate to snap a Cup drought that's suddenly stretched to 32 years.
And it's a GM in Chris Drury who was genuinely interested in dealing for Hughes before the Wild swooped in and landed him from the Canucks.
They're not as near to another parade as some of the others on our list.
But nothing matches the energy of a city that never sleeps, and New York's hockey brass has never met a blockbuster it didn't like.
If Hughes can make it there, he can make it...well, you know.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
