The Minnesota Wild's Stanley Cup dreams ended in the most painful way imaginable on Wednesday night. After leading 3-0 following the first period of Game 5, the Wild surrendered three unanswered goals, including a game-tying goal by Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. In overtime, the Wild lost after a goal from Brett Kulak. Now, their season is over.
The Wild were determined to finally end their Stanley Cup drought this season. They solidified it back in December after they traded for defenseman Quinn Hughes in a deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Hughes had been the star they were looking for, and he shined throughout these playoffs. The next step after this season, regardless of how it ended, was to try and convince Hughes to sign a contract extension.
Based on his comments after the game, Hughes is fond of his time with the team.
Following the Game 5 loss, Hughes said it "stings," saying he felt they "had a really great team." Hughes also spoke fondly of his teammates, the coaching staff, and the Wild organization.
Quinn Hughes didn’t mince words about Wild blowing lead to Avs in Game 5
"This one stings. Love the guys. Love the coaching staff. The whole organization," said Hughes, h/t The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Yeah, I mean this one really stings. I just felt like we had a really good team. You get through these guys, you never know. But if we had to lose, you want to lose to these guys. These guys are the best. Presidents’ Trophy. So, yeah, it stings right now just because I feel like we had a really great team."
Given the playoff format, the Wild's path to the Stanley Cup was going to be the most difficult in the entire NHL. The Wild, Avalanche, and Dallas Stars were three of the best teams not only in the Western Conference, but in the league as well, and given the divisonal format of the postseason, those three teams had to get through each other to make the Conference Finals. The Wild got through the Stars in the opening round, defeating them in six games. They then moved onto the Avalanche, who won the President's Trophy for most points in the NHL. That was always going to be a tough battle for the Wild, and it turned out to be the case.
Hughes was on fire throughout the Wild's 11 playoff games, scoring four goals and dishing out seven assists. Seven of those points (two goals, five assists) arrived in the five-game series against Colorado.
The Wild will undoubtedly e looking to bolster their roster to ensure they can make it past the second round next season and win the Stanley Cup. But perhaps their most important item on their checklist is convince Hughes to sign a contract extension, as his current deal expires at the end of next season. The Wild could not sign him to an extension at the time of the trade, but they can begin talking this summer. While it would make sense to sign on with a team that is a playoff contender, Hughes holds all the cards. He can decide to hit the open market next summer and cash in on a huge contract if he so chooses.
Despite the heartbreaking end of the season, there is a lot to look forward to for Wild fans. The most important thing Wild fans want is the team to announce Hughes will remain in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
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