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Vancouver Canucks tried to trade for Quinn Hughes' best friend

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Mar 7 2025, 5:23 pm
Vancouver Canucks tried to trade for Quinn Hughes' best friend
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

The Vancouver Canucks are in the market for a centre, and they apparently tried to acquire a player with close ties to Quinn Hughes.

A trade deadline deal between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres today saw Josh Norris and Dylan Cozens switch teams. The Canucks were reportedly interested in both centres, but the interest in Norris is especially intriguing given his relationship to Hughes.

Hughes has described Norris as his “best friend.”

“He’s my best friend and we’re really tight. He lives 20 minutes from me and we pretty much see each other every weekend in the summer,” Hughes told Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma in 2021.

Hughes and Norris were teammates for four straight seasons before turning pro, first with USA Hockey development teams, then at the University of Michigan.

“Vancouver was keenly interested in Josh Norris,” Darren Dreger said on TSN’s trade deadline coverage today.

Longtime Senators beat writer Bruce Garrioch added on TSN that the Canucks went “well down the road” with Ottawa in an attempt to trade for Norris.

It’s easy to understand why, beyond the Hughes friendship.

Norris is a talented, 6-foot-2 centre who could help fill the void left by the departed J.T. Miller. The 25-year-old has 33 points, including 20 goals in 53 games with the Sens this season. Norris’ career season came in 2021-22, when he scored 35 goals and 55 points in 66 games.

This could be a franchise-altering day for the Canucks, ahead of the NHL’s trade deadline at noon. The biggest name Vancouver is expected to trade is Brock Boeser, but they’re apparently also listening to offers on Elias Pettersson.

Stay tuned.

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