One Team Dropped Out of Hughes Bidding, Refused To Pay The Price

The Minnesota Wild won the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes, but there were plenty of other suitors who were willing to give up a robust package to land the former Norris Trophy winner, the consensus second-best blueliner in the NHL.

And then there are the Philadelphia Flyers. They did not stay in the bidding to the end. They dropped out, refusing to pay the price of either of their top two young players/prospects, as David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period tells us.

The Flyers (are) a team that poked (around) on Quinn Hughes. Those conversations never really got too far, as Philadelphia had no interest in moving either Matvei Michkov or Porter Martone.

Michkov, of course, already established himself as an electrifying, skilled forward in his rookie year last season, with 26 goals and 63 points, finishing 4th in Calder Cup balloting. Yes, he is struggling quite a bit in his sophomore season with just 16 points in 30 games, but his elite skill and dynamic play are evident enough for the Flyers to know that they wouldn't want to part with him. 

As for Martone, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder is a highly-touted power forward with both scoring and playmaking skills plus a tough, physical presence. The fifth-overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft is off to a sensational start at Michigan State, with 11 goals and 20 points in 16 games, with a plus/minus rating of +15. This follows his 98-point season (in 57 games) in his final year of junior last season, in the OHL. He is Philly's No. 1 prospect. 

The Flyers decided those talents were just too much to surrender. Even for Quinn Hughes. 

Ultimately, the Canucks got a solid package from the Wild, with one blue-chip prospect in defenseman Zeev Buium, a highly-skilled top-six center in Marco Rossi, another former first-round pick in Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round pick (which will be a late 20s selection). 

There were at least half a dozen other teams that were in the bidding.

The Flyers are currently in possession of the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, with a record of 16-9-5.