No trade clause? No problem, as long as your name is Quinn Hughes.
The newest member of the Minnesota Wild was very gracious towards both his agent and Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford when he conducted his first media availability with his new team.
And now, we know one of the key reasons why.
On Tuesday, Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson, joined Matt Marchese and Michael Futa on Sportsnet 590, following one of the biggest trades in recent NHL memory.
Brisson applauded the Canucks for how great they were to deal with throughout the process that saw Hughes get shipped to Minnesota.
“It wasn’t an easy decision, and I must admit, the [Canucks] organization was very classy along the way,” Brisson said during the radio hit.
“From Francesco Aquilini, to Jim [Rutherford] and Patrik [Allvin], working with us and quite frankly, if I can say this, if the deal didn’t make sense, in other words, if it was something Quinn wasn’t going to be happy with, I’m pretty sure they would have moved in a different direction.”
“They worked extremely well with us, as if we had a no-trade clause, almost.”
Of course, Hughes didn’t have a no-trade clause, meaning the Canucks had the freedom to shop him around with 31 other NHL teams.
Brisson later clarified the level of his involvement.
“We don’t get involved in which player goes where, with picks and that, but we did have a lot of open conversations about destinations and where he could potentially land. The communication was extremely open between us and the Canucks.”
“We knew which team was in and which team wasn’t as interested,” he said. “We were very involved that way, and I give the canucks a lot of credit for that because it helps the process because sometimes, we’re brokers in what we do.”
There could be two different viewpoints with Brisson’s comments on the Canucks.
In a sense, the praise that the Canucks organization got from one of the most powerful agents in hockey is a good thing.
If a team is viewed as not being easy to work with, would they get favours from other general managers and agents in the future?
Relationships are key in almost any business, and hockey is no different.
On the other hand, if the Canucks were catering to the needs of Hughes, even though he didn’t have any trade protection, were they truly able to maximize their return?
That might be a moot point, according to most of the hockey world, who have largely applauded the Canucks for what they received back from Minnesota. Brisson echoed that sentiment.
“It was a win-win in a sense,” Brisson said. “I do believe they got a good return, and it’s a great spot for Quinn. He wants to have a great hockey experience at this point, and hopefully, win a Cup.”
After the trade, Minnesota is now 10th among betting favourites to win the Stanley Cup. Vancouver currently has the worst odds of both winning the Cup and even making the playoffs.
That makes sense, as they’re still sitting 32nd overall in the NHL standings.