The Real Runner-Up in Quinn Hughes Sweepstakes Revealed

Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild defenseman carries the puck

With plenty of talk about the New Jersey Devils, Washington Capitals and others, there's really only one other team that seems to have come genuinely close in the Quinn Hughes Sweepstakes. According to insider Elliotte Friedman, that team is the Carolina Hurricanes.

"I think Carolina. That’s the team," Friedman told the crew on NHL Network Radio this week. "I know there's a lot of talk about New Jersey and other things. But I really do think Carolina was in there pretty good. I have heard they were in there pretty deep.”

In his 32 Thoughts column, he laid out more details.

There was something in [the Hurricanes'] offer the Canucks liked (I assume 23-year-old defender Alexander Nikishin was involved), because a few sources indicated Vancouver looked hard at it. I don’t know if we’ll ever find out for sure, but a couple other teams thought the Hurricanes were the frontrunners until Minnesota showed up.

Of course, no one would be surprised by this. The Canes took a big swing in acquiring Mikko Rantanen last season, and did the same with Jake Guentzel the year before. Neither of them worked out with a long-term arrangement, but that never stops the Hurricanes from trying.

They obviously subscribe to the theory, said Friedman, “when there's a great player out there, you have to take a run at them. Carolina kind of has that philosophy.”

He also adds that circumstances allowed for a potential face-to-face meeting between the two teams recently, when Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford was in Raleigh two weeks ago as part of the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup 20th anniversary celebrations.

In addition to Nikishin, Carolina also has an excellent prospect pool. Ultimately, however, the fact that they couldn’t offer a viable center to step right into the Vancouver lineup could have been their undoing in the Hughes talks.

But it's just another example of never counting the Hurricanes out when a big-name star comes on the market.