When the Minnesota Wild swung a trade for Quinn Hughes, the NHL world immediately drooled at the possibility of him and superstar Kirill Kaprizov elevating each other’s games. Hughes did a lot of heavy lifting for the Vancouver Canucks, while Kaprizov was the main offensive engine in Minnesota. Now they had a player of their equal sharing the same uniform.

In theory, anyway. Not every marriage between superstars is fruitful. Once upon a time, Wayne Gretzky, the best playmaker of all time, teamed up with Brett Hull, a 700-goal scorer. You’d think the two would have gone off, but they didn’t. More recently, Marian Hossa couldn’t quite find chemistry with an elite player in Sidney Crosby after a deadline deal sent Hossa to Pittsburgh.

Fit is a goofy thing, and it can be hard to give a precise reason why some teammates work well and others don’t. Who thought Mats Zuccarello was going to produce at nearly a point-per-game from ages 33 to 38? But that’s what happened, and it’s because his game meshes so well with Kaprizov’s. It works for a reason that’s hard to measure: they think similarly.

Sometimes that chemistry is instant; sometimes it takes a while. The results we expected from Hughes and Kaprizov together started slower than we might have thought. Both players were extremely productive through Hughes’ first 16 games. Kaprizov had seven goals and 18 points, while Hughes registered 16 points during that span. But weirdly, they combined on just five scores in that time.

That was especially noticeable on the power play, which seemed impossible. Kaprizov has scored the fourth-most power-play goals in the 2020s, while Hughes is eighth in power-play points. How could that not work?!

But for 16 games, it wasn’t taking off. The Wild’s power play was just 11-for-47 over that period. To be fair, that’s a respectable 23.4% conversion rate, though the second unit was responsible for a decent chunk of that success. It was impossible not to expect more from a power play that boasted Hughes, Kaprizov, and Matt Boldy.

Worry no more. 

The last nine Wild games have seen the two superstars settling in and getting results. Both players are in Sicko Mode, with Kaprizov at 17 points and Hughes at 16. They’ve combined for eight goals during this stretch.

That’s what happens when a power play is playing like a unit that can rival the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid/Leon Draisaitl/Evan Bouchard trifecta. Minnesota has scored a power play goal in eight of its last nine games (the one miss going on an 0-for-1 night against the Chicago Blackhawks), and is 12-for-27 over that time. A 44.4% mark is a hot stretch, not a full-season trend, but let’s be frank: This is a power play that should be flirting with 30%. 

Because of this stretch, they are, in fact. Since Hughes’ arrival, the Wild are converting at a 31.1% rate, nearly identical to Edmonton’s 31.2% season-long mark. And the potential to keep that up is partly due to Hughes and Kaprizov’s budding chemistry.

Hughes and Kaprizov have a unique shared trait in their elite edgework. Wild fans have known for years how Kaprizov uses his edges to create room for himself and teammates. Hughes might be even better at it, constantly shifting and spinning to find open ice. Crucially, neither player has played with someone who shares this trait, at least at the NHL level. 

The places Hughes and Kaprizov can expect each other to be at are simply different than 99% of NHLers. They want the puck in different spots than most players; they’re capable of threading passes that few others can make, etc. It’s not surprising that there was a feeling-out process.

Kaprizov’s first goal yesterday showed how the two are learning to use each other to maximize offense. Instead of trying to force a pass through a crowded cross-ice lane, Hughes drew the defense away from the middle of the ice by circling the net, then threatening a shot with a stutter-step. The Montreal Canadiens bit, and Kaprizov immediately dashed through two distracted defenders for the opening goal.

We’re seeing more and more plays like that, and the number should only increase with time, experience, and comfort. The two superstars don’t just share a skating superpower; they both have elite vision and high-end hockey IQ. It felt inevitable that the chemistry would come, and now that it’s arriving, the ceiling on the Kaprizov/Hughes Wild is getting a little bit higher.

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