The general managers of the Central Division are not afraid to take big swings, so while the addition of Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild makes things even tougher, they’re willing to give rival Bill Guerin his flowers.

Guerin paid up to acquire Hughes last week, sending a massive package of Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks for the star blueliner.

“Great move by Billy,” Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun for The Athletic on Monday. “There was an opportunity, and they grabbed it. The part that people don’t understand is they had the assets to do it. So, they’ve done a good job to have the assets to make that trade. It’s similar to the trade we made for [Mikko] Rantanen last year. I don’t think Billy Guerin started the year thinking, ‘Boy, we’re going to get Quinn Hughes. Let’s plan for that.’ You can never plan for those things, much like we didn’t plan for Rantanen. But if you’ve done a good job with your organization and your team, and you have the assets, it gives you a chance to get those types of players.

“So, hats off to him. That’s a great job.”

New for ⁦@TheAthletic⁩, the GMs for the Stars and Avs react to the Quinn Hughes blockbuster and how it sets up a race for first place in the crazy Central with the Wild where the prize is real: avoiding each other in the 1st round ⤵️ https://t.co/EogBz6Pwdy

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) December 16, 2025

The Central is already home to the NHL’s top two teams this season in the Colorado Avalanche and Stars, with the new-look Wild just one point back of the Carolina Hurricanes for third in the league.

“That was a big trade for both teams and those deals are not easy to get over the finish line, so you have to give Billy [Guerin] and Patrik [Allvin] a lot of credit for finding common ground,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland told LeBrun. “Obviously, there are so many good teams in our division, and it will make for some great hockey the rest of the way in what should be an exciting second half.

“Minny was already a very good team, and adding an impact player like Quinn Hughes will only make them that much tougher.”

The Avalanche are off to a dominant start to this season with two regulation losses through 32 games. The 23-2-7 club, though, is only four points ahead of the Stars (22-7-5), who have played two more games.

Minnesota sits 10 points back of the Avalanche and six points behind the Stars with a 19-9-5 record. The Utah Mammoth are fourth in the Central, eight points back of the Wild, while the Winnipeg Jets, who won the division and the Presidents’ Trophy last season, are fifth – 21 points back of the first-place Avs.

If the playoffs started today, the Avalanche would face the San Jose Sharks in the first-round, while the Stars and Wild would be forced to meet in a heavyweight clash.

Guerin’s choice to swing for the fences on Hughes comes as he hopes to end Minnesota’s playoff win drought, with their last series victory coming in 2015. The team has reached the postseason eight times in the past 10 years, but has been unable to advance.

Undoubtedly, avoiding a division heavyweight in the first round would make for an easier start to the postseason, but Nill, whose Stars defeated the Avalanche in their opener last year, isn’t sure the seeding is all that important.

“You’re always trying to be the best you can be during the season,” Nill explained. “I don’t think the regular season gets enough recognition. To be first in your division or first in the league is a pretty big honour over 82 games. I think that’s the goal of everybody. But in saying that, does it matter in the playoffs? I don’t think it matters. Maybe a Game 7, it’s nice to have a Game 7 at home.

“But in the end, you’ve got to beat everybody to win it all anyway. You hope you’re healthy when you go into it and give yourself a fair chance. That’s all you can do.”

The Wild will look to make their first statement in the division since adding Hughes on Sunday against the Avalanche. Minnesota defeated the Stars 5-2 last week, one day before their blockbuster deal.