Quinn Hughes Returns to Vancouver for the First Time as a Visitor: Wild Defenseman Faces the Canucks Tonight at Rogers Arena
National Hockey League (NHL) defenseman Quinn Hughes will return to Rogers Arena on Sunday night, October 25, when the Minnesota Wild visit the Vancouver Canucks — his first game in Vancouver as a visiting player since he was traded away on December 12, 2025. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. Pacific. According to Reuters, Hughes said before the game that however the home crowd receives him, it will not change how he feels about the city.
"However I'm received won't affect how I feel about Vancouver tomorrow, the next day, or five years down the line," Hughes said. "I just feel gratitude, and one night won't affect 6 1/2 years of how I enjoyed that place. I was really lucky to start my career there, and just being in a Canadian market was a really special thing for me. I'm grateful for the opportunity and 6 1/2 years there." His Olympic teammate Brady Tkachuk was loudly booed on Wednesday in his return to Ottawa after requesting a trade to Florida to play with his brother Matthew.
Hughes is the Canucks' all-time leading scorer among defensemen: selected seventh overall in the 2018 draft, he debuted on March 28, 2019, and recorded 432 points (61 goals, 371 assists) in 459 games for Vancouver through his final game on December 11, 2025. He served as captain from September 11, 2023, and won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman in 2023-24 with a career-high 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists). On December 12, 2025, he was traded to Minnesota for center Marco Rossi, left winger Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round draft pick; the three players who went the other way will also face their former team in Vancouver for the first time tonight.
With the Wild, Hughes helped the team reach 104 points and a first-round playoff win over the Dallas Stars last season, and he won a gold medal with the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics. He is in the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) signed with Vancouver and has been eligible to sign an extension with Minnesota since July 1. He told NHL.com he is enjoying Minnesota and taking his time, adding, "I wouldn't be surprised if something happens soon."
Vancouver, meanwhile, brings a nine-game losing streak (0-8-1) and an NHL-low five points into the game; the Canucks last won on October 3, beating Calgary 4-1. First-year head coach Manny Malhotra hopes Hughes's return will bring energy to the building: "We obviously need to give them something to cheer about, and we've seen it firsthand. When the fans are into the game, and when we get them on our side early, that can be a major advantage for us." Former teammate Elias Pettersson said, "I hope it's a good reception for him coming back. Obviously, what he did for this franchise, and top of scoring for D-men all-time and everything." The Wild won 5-1 at the Seattle Kraken on Saturday and are playing the second night of a back-to-back.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Quinn Hughes身穿Minnesota Wild队43号球衣，2025年12月14日加盟荒野队首秀（资料图）。图：Kiranomimus，CC BY 4.0，经维基共享资源 / Quinn Hughes in a Minnesota Wild jersey during his Wild debut on December 14, 2025 (file photo). Photo by Kiranomimus, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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