You’ve heard of love at first sight.
For Quinn Hughes, who made his Minnesota Wild debut on Sunday, this was love from first time on the ice.
Two days after acquiring the 2024 Norris Trophy-winning defenseman in a blockbuster trade from the Vancouver Canucks, the Minnesota crowd showed Hughes why it is known as the State of Hockey. Hughes was cheered from the moment he skated out for warm-ups. Each time he touched the puck, the crowd roared with applause.
It was the kind of reception that could go a long way in convincing Hughes to make Minnesota his permanent home.
‘That was pretty special, honestly,’ Hughes told reporters. ‘I wasn’t expecting that. It was very cool. I know it’s a hockey market, but that was exciting.’
Hughes has made no secret that he hopes to play on a team with his two younger brothers one day. But after a 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins, the newest member of the Wild opened the door on potentially signing a long-term extension to stay in Minnesota when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.
‘I mean, extremely open minded,’ Hughes said. ‘They have an amazing core. I’ve only been here four hours, but getting to know some of the guys and how energetic and positive some of the guys are. And then Minnesota being so close to Michigan (where Hughes grew up) and the state of hockey and the passion here. Just seeing how the fans reacted to me as well in warm-ups. And then obviously, I have a lot of time for Billy (Guerin, the Wild’s GM) for ‘sacking up’ and making the deal like he did and how he valued me.’
In other words, don’t plan a 2027 reunion party in New Jersey, where brothers Luke and Jack play, just yet.
Part of the reason why there was talk of Hughes wanting to play with his brothers was because he wanted to get out of the mess that has engulfed Vancouver for the past two seasons. Given the choice, Hughes probably would have preferred to join his brothers in New Jersey. But on Friday, the Devils were not willing to give up the kind of assets needed to acquire Hughes.
Instead, the Wild sent a hefty package that included a Zeev Buuim, Marco Rossi and a first-round pick for the 26-year-old.
‘Billy was full in,’ said Hughes. ‘There were other teams that could have probably have thrown in certain packages too, but at the end of the day they didn’t want to do that … I’ll remember that Billy did that. I think that was his first offer. Obviously, I want to do what I can here and prove him right. With how he handled me with the four nations last year too gave me a glimpse of what a good person he is. He was a big reason why I wanted to come here.’
One game in, Hughes is already making Guerin’s big gamble look good. Hughes had a goal and three shots in a 6-2 win against the Bruins on Sunday. Taking a pace in the slot from Ryan Hartman, Hughes snuck a wrist shot through the five-hole for his first goal in a Wild uniform.
‘The crowd was electric from warm-ups to the introduction and then throughout the game,’ coach John Hynes said.
‘Warm-ups was the loudest I’ve ever heard it since I’ve played here,’ defenseman Brock Faber said. ‘Obviously everyone’s excited. The state of Minnesota is excited.’
Equally exciting is the impact that Hughes has made on an up-and-coming team that seems ready to pop. The Wild went all-in during the summer when they signed Kirill Kaprizov to an NHL record extension that carries a $17 million cap hit. But this trade made it clear that they have a championship on their minds, despite being in a competitive Central Division where Colorado and Dallas are the top-two teams.
‘I think it’s going to take, four, five, six games, but once we get rolling, we’re going to be hard to beat,’ said Hughes, who was paired with Faber.
If you didn’t think the Wild were a Stanley Cup contender before, you certainly did now that they have one of the best defenseman on the planet. And they better. After all, the Wild have two seasons to prove to Hughes that this could permanent home for him.
Already, he seems to be warming up to the idea of staying around.
‘Honestly, I couldn’t be more excited for this chapter,’ said Hughes, who admitted he doesn’t have the proper winter attire for Minnesota winters. ‘Definitely have some shopping to do.’