It still doesn't feel real that the Minnesota Wild acquired Quinn Hughes over the weekend.
A team that has been allergic to taking big swings, for one reason or another, stunned the league with a blockbuster deal to acquire perhaps the best defenseman in hockey. It's a seismic move, one that propels the Wild to the very front of the Stanley Cup conversation.
That's been the consensus when it comes to reactions to the trade. As the dust settles, the hot takes are rolling in and every single one is the type of stuff fans in Minnesota have been waiting to hear for years.
One of the best takes was from TNT's Paul Bissonnette.
Paul Bissonnette perfectly summed up why the Wild trading for Quinn Hughes is a game-changer
In his signature unfiltered style, he perfectly summed up not only why the trade rules, but also the impact it's going to have in reshaping the race in the Western Conference.
"The thing for me is you have Makar and [Nathan] MacKinnon on the ice at the same time playing five-on-five power play, buzzing around as a five-man unit. So now Minnesota has that element. You have Kirill Kaprizov and Quinn Hughes playing five-on-five ... playing probably fifteen minutes collectively out there throughout a game. It's going to be a three-ring circus, and they're going to give defenses so many headaches, just the way you see Colorado do," Biz explained.
Quinn Hughes is off to Minnesota. Congratulations @mnwild fans. Incredible job by Billy G. Vancouver got a great return. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/iYDeE3U8Gq
— Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0) December 13, 2025
Most of the fallout from this Hughes trade has simply been pure astonishment and shock. Zooming out of our Minnesota bubble, the fact that an elite defenseman and team captain would get traded in the middle of a season is crazy on its own.
The fact that the Wild were the team to land him is even...well, wilder.
Biz takes it to the next phase of awesomeness in that it's a direct answer to Colorado. Minnesota has long struggled to contend with teams once it reaches the playoffs, and getting Hughes means the Wild now can match the Makar-MacKinnon duo in ways they otherwise couldn't have.
The Avs seems like the class of the NHL right now, which means if the Wild are matching their talent and energy then the rest of the league is in even bigger trouble.
"Not many teams, with Colorado being the only other one, have that true element of throwing out the ace of spades of a five-man unit. What a job by Billy G and the Minnesota Wild from locking in Kirill to getting Quinn Hughes for not only this year but next year too," Bissonnette said. "Wow, Minnesota is a Stanley Cup contender."
This is unprecedented territory for the Wild. The team has always seemed to be in the mix for contention, but it's never felt this serious. Minnesota is hands down the biggest winner in this trade, and it's the type of win-now move that sends a message to the entire league.
Hughes made his debut on Sunday in a dominating 6-2 win over Boston, and if Biz is right then it's just the start of what could be one of the most incredible runs we've seen this Wild team go on in recent memory.