As the dust settles from the blockbuster trade sending Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, his former Vancouver Canucks teammates have had a few days to reflect on the loss of their former captain.

In an article published by Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, veteran winger Brock Boeser opened up about the trade and the relationship he had with Hughes.

“I know there’s a few of us, especially myself — I was feeling so many different emotions, because he’s one of my best buddies on the team and such an important piece. Couldn’t really explain. I was sad. I was mad. I was happy for him. It was just a ton of emotions.”

Boeser and Hughes played together in Vancouver for parts of eight seasons, highlighted by an outstanding 2023-24 season that saw Hughes collect the first Norris Trophy in franchise history, a 40-goal campaign from Boeser, and a trip to the 2024 All-Star game together.

News of the trade broke on Friday evening, just as the Canucks touched down in Newark, NJ, to begin a five-game, East Coast road trip against the New Jersey Devils, another team Hughes was closely linked with in trade talks before the deal with the Wild was finalized.

While Quinn had already left the team bus to be with his brothers, Jack and Luke, his teammates were left stunned. None of them believed it would happen so soon.

Before heading to join his new group of teammates in Minnesota, Hughes was able to meet with Boeser, Conor Garland, Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers for dinner. To end the evening, Hughes made a toast to close out his time as a Vancouver Canuck. When asked what was said during the toast, Boeser was candid in his answer, using the word “emotional” to describe his parting words with his friend, followed by hugs.

While Quinn Hughes’ on-ice talent is known across the NHL, Boeser talked about the person behind the player, a relationship that carried as much off the ice as it did on it.

“He was one of my few teammates that came to my dad’s funeral, and I think that kind of proved everything to me — the person he is and how he was raised by his parents,” Boeser says. “That meant a lot to me. He just has a good heart, and he cares about people, and he cares about hockey, and that’s just who he is.”

A Minnesota native, Boeser was also asked about Hughes heading to the team he cheered for growing up. He shared that the move left him with mixed emotions, and that he had to turn his phone to ‘do not disturb’ after getting texts from people from Minnesota: “And when people were texting me about his first game, I’m like, ‘Too early. Too early.’”

The team will see Hughes once more this season in early April, as they head to St. Paul to take on the Wild. As for Canucks fans, the return of Quinn Hughes will have to wait until the 2026-27 season to see No. 43 again in Rogers Arena.