It’s been just over a month since the Minnesota Wild made the monumental trade for Quinn Hughes that sent shockwaves through not only the state of Minnesota but also the entire NHL. The trade sent Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, and a first-round pick in this year’s draft to the Vancouver Canucks and brought Hughes to the Wild.
It was quite a surprise as Wild fans had been hoping for a big name all offseason, and nothing worked, so a midseason trade was not on their radar. It was also a bit of a shock for the league as many expected him to head to the New Jersey Devils and play with his brothers, Jack and Luke. The Wild were the only team that had the package that worked, so they got Hughes. In this article, we’ll look at his first month with the team and his impact, starting with his pure talent.
Hughes is a League Above
Prior to Kirill Kaprizov arriving, the Wild never really had a bona fide superstar. Of course, Marián Gáborík was a history maker as their first draft pick, their first star scorer, and while he was great for the organization, he wasn’t quite at that “superstar” level. Through his tenure with the Wild, the top scorers in the league were Joe Thornton, Jarome Iginla, Daniel Alfredsson, Jaromír Jágr, and Marián Hossa.
While he was great, he wasn’t quite to their level, but he did well for the Wild and helped grow a brand new team. He was easily one of the faces of the team until he pursued free agency and signed with the New York Rangers in 2009.
When Kaprizov showed up, Wild fans were in for a treat as they finally had a gifted goal scorer and playmaker who could skate circles around most in the NHL. Some weren’t quite sure what to think, but after his first game or two in a Wild jersey, it was clear to most that he wasn’t just your average player. He’s had his ups and downs, but still manages to find different ways to score goals and entertain Wild fans, along with setting franchise records.
Now to the present season and Mr. Quinn Hughes. If Wild fans weren’t sure about the trade at first, it’s safe to say most are pretty happy so far. The pure talent level he has is something Wild fans have never seen in a defenseman. They currently have a solid group of defensemen and have for a while, but Hughes has brought them to another level. He can skate, he can handle the puck, hold his ground, and he can play a lot of minutes, everything the Wild needed.
Hughes Makes Everyone Better
It’s barely been a month since the trade, and in that time, he’s played 17 games, but he made an impact immediately. Of course, he scored a goal in his first game wearing a Wild jersey, but he’s been more impactful than scoring, although his offense has been an added bonus. His defensive skills are top-notch. He’s had 18 blocked shots for the Wild in 17 games, and his overall total is 50 on the season. While it’s not as high as some of his teammates’, he makes up for it with his stick skills.
Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes skates with the puck against Columbus Blue Jackets right wing Yegor Chinakhov (Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)
Hughes is gifted at breaking the puck out of his defensive zone and even more so at stealing the puck off opponents’ sticks. He forces them to make the mistake, and while he’s had a few himself, he’s quick to make up for them. What’s the most impressive about his game isn’t necessarily his defensive or offensive stats but his ability to skate around nearly everyone on the ice while carrying the puck. Of course, there are a number of players in the NHL who can do this, but that’s why they’re considered the top players.
As most expected, he was paired with Brock Faber when he joined the team and has been ever since. They play a similar style, and Hughes has gotten Faber to unlock that next level of his game that everyone knew was there. They have had some growing pains, but overall, they’ve been a strong match-up, and they bring out the best in each other.
“I think he, the way he demands the puck and wants the puck on his stick, it’s like something I’ve never really seen before, the way he skates, the way he pushes for offense, the aggressiveness at all times, no matter what the score. Just those things, mentality-wise, there’s something that definitely I’ve never really seen, or definitely things that I can learn from for sure. His offensive ability is great, but all around the ice he, everyone talks about is his offensive zone, and I think he’s just as good with his skating ability to break pucks out and in the d-zone…,” said Faber after their win over the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 8 about things he can learn from Hughes.
Hughes Makes Things Possible
With Hughes coming to Minnesota, he was one major piece of their puzzle they needed to have in order to try and make a run for the Stanley Cup. His joining the lineup meant the Wild’s front office is serious about making a run and getting their team to that next level. What it also means is they likely aren’t done.
Michael Russo of The Athletic said on his podcast “Worst Seats in the House” that he is certain Bill Guerin isn’t finished, and there’s likely another big move coming. It’s hard to say exactly what that move will be, but as everyone has seen with Guerin over the years, he won’t do it unless it’s the exact right deal.
Related: 2 Takeaways From Quinn Hughes’ Debut Postgame Press Conference
The one area the Wild have needed a lot of help in is finding that number one center. The trouble with that position, as everyone knows and Russo alluded to on his podcast, is to get a top-notch player for that spot, they’ll have to give up quite a bit, and it would likely be picks. They already gave up a lot in terms of their roster to get Hughes; they can’t really afford to do that again.
However, if they want to make a run, they have to find a way to get one more top forward, and then they have a real shot to do things. With the addition of Hughes, they’ve proven they want to be that team, and they are willing to make the moves to make it happen. It’ll be interesting to see if they can keep this going and who they’ll pursue to try and make this a team have a real chance to go all the way.
