Now that reality has set in, and the Quinn Hughes trade wasn't some wonderful fantasy we all collectively dreamed up, it's onto the next order of business for the Minnesota Wild.
Hughes is here, and while he's under contract until 2027, the next phase of making the blockbuster trade work is convincing him that he needs to stay.
Wild fans just went through this with Kirill Kaprizov and that all ended up working out perfectly. One superstar is under contract long-term, and now the attention shifts to Hughes' future, and so far it seems things are off to a tremendous start.
After the 6-2 win over Boston, Hughes addressed his potential future in Minnesota and whether he'd be willing to sign a contract extension. He was understandably non-committal, but his initial reaction is one that should have Wild fans rather pleased.
Quinn Hughes isn't hiding how much he already loves the Minnesota Wild
Hughes obviously didn't make any promises he can't keep, but he wasn't shy about how much he's already loving being with the Wild.
"Extremely open-minded," Hughes said when asked if he could see himself in Minnesota long term. "There are other teams that probably could have thrown in certain packages like [the Wild] too, but at the end of the day, they didn't want to do that or didn't want to trade two or three assets from their team like Billy did. So I'll remember that, and that means a lot to me."
As if that wasn't awesome enough, Hughes was glowing about the culture in Minnesota.
"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 guys are," Hughes said. "And then Minnesota being so close to Michigan and just the State of Hockey and the passion here. Just seeing how the fans reacted to me as well in warmups."
Quinn Hughes very open to signing long term in Minnesota. Has a lot of respect for Billy G making the trade and believing in him. #mnwild pic.twitter.com/fBG34VZfkv
— Minny Hockey (@MinnyHockey) December 15, 2025
Keep in mind that he's saying all of this after just one game, and having been in Minnesota for barely any time at all. Vancouver is a certified dumpster fire right now, but it's not as though the culture was so bad that he needed to go out of his way to highlight just how much better things are already.
That bodes well for this next stretch, which is where the game behind the scenes will be played as much as it is on the ice. Hughes is under contract for next season but is set to hit free agency in the summer of 2027. Minnesota has between now and then to prove to Hughes that this is a place he needs to stay, and that the Wild offer him the best shot at not only competing for a Stanley Cup but winning one.
We're still in the infancy of this, but all indications seem to be that Bill Gurein isn't going to take his foot off the gas anytime soon. The biggest swing in franchise history wasn't taken so that the Wild could coast on the energy it created.
Minnesota went all-in with the Hughes trade, but it likely won't be the last splash it makes in an effort to craft the right Stanley Cup roster. There are already whispers of a potential Sidney Crosby trade being on the table somewhere down the road, which both shows the options the Wild are dealing with in showing Hughes -- and the rest of the team -- how serious they are about competing as well as proving to fans just how far this team has lept forward over the last few days.