Early Friday morning it seemed that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers would dominate the NHL newscycle for at least 24 hours as the Pens sent Tristan Jarry westward in exchange for a future second-round pick and some players, ending the Oilers never-ending quest for a goaltender that didn’t leave their fans with frayed nerves before every start. Well, that news didn’t even make it to Friday Night Happy Hour before Bill Guerin shook up the hockey world by landing the biggest name on everyone’s trade board - Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.
With the move, the Wild general manager made one thing clear to his team, his fans, and the rest of the league: Minnesota is done building for the future, their time is now. Whatever chips Bill Guerin had in front of him, he just shoved to the middle of the table in acquiring the dynamic defender for Orlando, Florida (that sounds weird).
Hughes will slot in on the top pairing and bring his 432 career points (61 goals, 371 assists) and 27 minutes a night of ice time to a defense that is solid, but not a heavy point-producing unit. Brock Faber is currently their leading scorer with 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists). Hughes has more assists than that on the season already as he’s posted 2 goals and 21 helpers for the Canucks.
The 26-year-old represents something that the Minnesota Wild have never really had in the history of the organization - a bona fide, offense-first, difference maker lining up on defense. Ryan Suter had the best offensive seasons by a defender in franchise history when he posted 51-point campaigns in 2015-16 and 2017-18. By comparison, Hughes has eclipsed that mark five times already in his eight-year career, topping out with a whopping 92-point (17 goals, 75 assist) season in 2023-24.
One could argue that while some solid players have played alongside him in Vancouver, he hasn’t had the top-end talent of Kirill Kaprizov as a teammate in his career. A power play unit with Kirill, Hughes, Matt Boldy, Vlad Tarasenko, and Joel Eriksson Ek should be a nightmare for opposing penalty kills.
Was the price to acquire this 5’10”, 180 lb. unicorn steep? Yes, yes it was. Very steep. But Guerin knows that the Wild’s window to win the Stanley Cup is now, and that, historically, they don’t stay open very long. He can look at his roster and see one of the top forwards in the league in Kaprizov. He also has arguably the best goaltending duo in Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt patrolling the crease. Now he adds the second-best (in terms of offense) defenseman to the chaos. Is it enough to put them past Colorado and Dallas in their division? Only time will tell that story, but on paper, the Wild may just be the best team in the West right now.
The beautiful thing is, he didn’t have to do it. The Wild had righted their ship after a slow start and crawled their way back into a playoff spot. Zeev Buium might have his flaws, but he showed the promise that made him a top pick. He is the type of defenseman that, when he matures, could be very Hughes-like. Marco Rossi, despite his demotion during the playoffs last season, was giving coach John Hynes the scoring depth they had hoped he would bring. At least when he was healthy. Liam Ohgren…he did a lot of good things as well, scoring just wasn’t one of them.
The point is, this trio of players were perfectly fine pieces for a Wild team that had patiently built up their talent level over the last few seasons. And if this was the team that Guerin went to battle with in the playoffs, they probably stood a decent chance of making a run while also laying a good foundation for future teams.
Instead, he gambled and cashed in those futures for a run at the Cup right now. Did the move hurt the Wild’s long-term plans? Sure, but if it gives them a shot at winning now, why not take it? It’s a strategy that the Tampa Bay Lightning employed during their successive Stanley Cup seasons, and not a bad strategy to emulate.
Guerin gave the team a better chance to win this year. With tomorrow promised to no one, that’s all fans can hope their GM does. It could all end up meaning nothing and the Wild could miss out on their window, but at least it won’t be for the lack of trying, or for being too cautious. This is a big bet, perhaps the biggest bet in franchise history. Will it pay off? Again, only time will tell.