The Minnesota Wild’s 2025-26 season changed dramatically when they swung a trade for Quinn Hughes last December. A former Norris Trophy winner as the NHL’s top defenseman, Hughes scored five goals and recorded 53 points in 48 regular season games and scored four times with 15 points in Minnesota’s 11-game playoff run to make them legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
While the Wild came up short of their ultimate goal, Hughes was a big reason they got where they did last season and could be for years to come if he agrees on a contract extension. But if Wild fans need anything they’re witnessing something special, they can look no further than The Athletic’s Hockey Hall of Fame Tiers entering next season.
The list, which is limited to players who have logged at least five seasons, are under contract for next season and received 75 percent of the votes from The Athletic’s panel, divided the group into six different tiers. But while Hughes was listed as “on track” for the Hall, he also was the youngest player listed in the article at age 26.
A simple eye test will tell fans that Hughes is one of the most dynamic players in the NHL. But for Wild fans who have seen some good players come along, it’s confirmation that they are witnessing a potential Hall of Fame player in their prime when he takes the ice.
Quinn Hughes could become the first player to play for the Wild in their prime
The Wild have had their fair share of stars during their 25 seasons of existence. Kirill Kaprizov has become the top player in franchise history, becoming Minnesota’s all-time leader in goals scored (230) last season and ranking second with 475 points.
Mikko Koivu also has his number retired as the Wild’s all-time leader in points (709) and games played (1,012), but is unlikely to someday make the Hall of Fame. Marian Gaborik and Zach Parise have also become synonymous with Minnesota hockey fans during their career but neither have entered the Hall of Fame (although Parise was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2025).
Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin aren’t household names on a national level, but they are two of the greatest defensemen the Wild have ever had. Brock Faber is also on a superstar trajectory as he enters his prime and could force his way into the conversation if he played like he did in last year’s playoffs.
But the most surprising stat out of this is that no current Hall of Famer has played a game for the Wild. There are exceptions as goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, defenseman Brent Burns and forward Eric Stall are likely to get in someday. But Burns was at the beginning of his career in Minnesota while Fleury and Staal made pit stops at the end of their career.
Jacques Lemaire also was the first head coach in Wild history, but he was inducted in 1984 as an eight-time Stanley Cup champion with the Montreal Canadiens.
Long story short, Wild fans have yet to see a hockey Hall of Famer play in Minnesota in their prime unless Sidney Crosby or Connor McDavid are making a visit to St. Paul and Hughes could change that if he continues on his current trajectory.
Quinn Hughes’s trajectory is sky high if he stays with the Wild
The seventh overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Hughes has scored 66 goals and logged 485 points in 507 career games. He also received Norris trophy votes six times and took home the hardware during the 2023-24 season.
The Wild benefitted greatly from his arrival, going 28-15-7 after the trade from Vancouver. But he also didn’t take long to put his name into the Wild’s record books. Hughes’s 53 points with Minnesota last season topped the Wild’s previous record for a defenseman surpassing Brock Faber’s 2025-26 campaign and Ryan Suter’s performance in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 seasons.
Even more impressive was that Hughes did that in just 48 games while the three previous did so in at least 78 games. If Hughes had a similar number of games, he would have obliterated the record with 86 points and played at a 92-point pace over an 84-game season, which will be in place this year.
Hughes could also score more goals in his second season in Minnesota after seeing his 8.3 percent shooting percentage drop to 4.4 percent with the Wild and 3.7 overall last season and it sets up an exciting future if the Wild can sign him to a contract extension.
Hughes staying in Minnesota would be one way to solidify his case and if he brings home a Cup, that will give him even more credit. The residual effect could also be felt for the Wild’s other stars as Kaprizov, Faber and Matt Boldy could boost their own case with a dynamic blueliner by their side.
It’s a big reason the Wild may be entering their golden era as a franchise after last year’s success and why Hughes is giving fans something they’ve rarely seen as he approaches his second season in Minnesota after last year’s blockbuster deal.
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