The trade winds are blowing in Vancouver.
With the Vancouver Canucks near the bottom of the NHL standings, trade chatter began after the team sent out a memo stating that they were willing to listen to offers on veteran players.
Those blustering trade winds picked up a notch on Saturday.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported over the weekend that the New Jersey Devils called on Quinn Hughes. Other teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have also been linked to the star defenceman.
Hughes himself commented on the rumours after a victory on Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.
“It’s not like me, [Jim Rutherford] and [Tom Fitzgerald] hopped on a call, I wasn’t a part of that,” Hughes said.
“But obviously, I’m aware that things like that could happen.”
One of the biggest trades in recent NHL history seems like an inevitability, but what could the Canucks actually get in return?
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reported on what he’s hearing as the Hughes trade chatter picks up.
“Right now, it seems the going rate for a team wishing to acquire Hughes is a combination of four or five pieces, including roster players, prospects, and first-rounders,” Kypreos wrote.
“The Canucks are seeking those first-rounders to be unprotected so that if they end up in the lottery, Vancouver wouldn’t have to worry about waiting another year to receive the return and would maximize the potential package.”
Kypreos goes on to mention the Devils and the fact that Simon Nemec, Dawson Mercer, and “any of New Jersey’s first-round picks in the next three years” are in play.
Presumably, based on his report about what the Canucks are seeking, a minimum four-asset return would equate to Nemec, Mercer, and at least two first-round picks going back to Vancouver in a Hughes trade.
If you’re a Canucks fan, is that a return you’re happy with?