Pinch yourself all you want, Minnesota Wild fans, but the Quinn Hughes trade was not some collective dream we all shared. It's a reality, and one that has put the entire NHL on notice thanks to the arrival of another Stanley Cup contender.
We still have to see how things go, but it's impossible to overstate to the uninitiated how big a deal this is to Minnesota hockey fans. The Wild have been in dead money hell for the entire decade, and the carrot dangling in front of everyone was that the team would finally be able to spend in free agency.
Bill Guerin getting ahead of that and making a blockbuster deal now to add an elite superstar to a team that already has one feels almost too good to be true.
It is, though, and Guerin isn't wasting any time leaning into how brilliant the immediate aftermath of the trade feels.
Bill Guerin takes a shot at warm weather Stanley Cup contenders after Quinn Hughes trade
The Wild acquiring Hughes did more than just add one of the best players in the league to their roster, it was a clap back at the argument that players are easily lured to warm weather destinations -- specifically Florida.
It was an open secret during the Panthers' run that they had been able to leverage sunny weather and no state taxes as a selling point when chasing key players. Brad Marchand, a Canadian who cut his Hall of Fame teeth with the Boston Bruins, happily re-signed with Florida rather than go elsewhere and cash in.
While talking about what selling points led Hughes to sign off on a trade to Minnesota, Guerin took a shot at the Panthers and, in doing so, stood up for all cold-weather teams that have felt slighted.
"Look, I love Minnesota. Our players love Minnesota. This is a great place to play," Guerin said before taking a dig at the Stanley Cup champions. "No matter what, whether you have good weather and no taxes, whatever. The hockey has to be good. You can live in the sun, you can live in these great places, or make a little more money, but if the hockey's not good, you won't be happy."
Billy Freakin Guerin nails it! The hockey has to be good or the players will not be happy. Kevyn, it’s not about palm trees 🌴 weather or taxes. Adams and other weaker GMs (former GMs) can learn from Guerin pic.twitter.com/XwRaoTBYSv
— Buzz (@SabresBuzz) December 13, 2025
Marchand was in a perfect position to leverage his role in helping power the Panthers to another Stanley Cup into a fat free agent contract. He still signed a $31.5 million deal, but rather than a bidding war, he chose to re-sign with Florida while everyone pointed to the warm weather and no taxes as a major reason why.
It was a talking point throughout not only the Panthers' run but the back-to-back Stanley Cups that the Tampa Bay Lightning won as well.
To be fair, as Guerin put it the hockey is good in Florida so it's not only about external factors. But it's hard not to feel like doing another fist pump after hearing Minnesota get not only so glowingly talked about by Guerin but chosen by Hughes.
A lot of that has to do with how much promise and potential this Wild roster has, which is the main reason to get excited. There's a deep romance about hockey in Minnesota, though, so to hear that being a major selling point in the way warm weather and tax breaks are feels like an extra win in an already incredible deal.