The Buffalo Sabres were a serious player in the Quinn Hughes sweepstakes before the Vancouver Canucks traded the All-Star defenseman to the Minnesota Wild.
ESPN's Rachel Kryshak and Greg Wyshynski reported Tuesday the Sabres proposed a package to Vancouver that included two core pieces.
"Forward Zach Benson is a player the Canucks have coveted since they passed on him in favor of defenseman Tom Willander in the 2023 draft," Kryshak and Wyshynski wrote. "Benson and defenseman Bowen Byram would have been the primary pieces in any deal that saw Hughes end up in Buffalo.