Quinn Hughes is quickly making history with the Minnesota Wild. When Minnesota made the blockbuster move to acquire the star defenseman from the Vancouver Canucks in December, the price raised eyebrows across the league.
Now, just a few months later, Hughes is proving why the Wild believed the deal was worth it.
Quinn Hughes Shows Why Minnesota Wild’s Move Was the Right Call
Minnesota acquired Hughes in a blockbuster trade that sent Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick to Vancouver. At the time, many believed the Wild had paid a hefty price for the star defenseman.
But Hughes has quickly backed up the move with performances that are making that concern fade fast.
In Thursday’s 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Hughes recorded two assists to hit the 60-assist mark for the fifth straight season, tying Hall of Fame defensemen Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey for the second-longest streak in NHL history by a defenseman. The only player with a longer run is legendary blueliner Bobby Orr, who did it six straight seasons from 1969-70 to 1974-75.
He also became the first defenseman in 33 years to record at least 60 assists in his first 60 games of a season, something Coffey last accomplished in 1992-93.
Hughes also passed Denis Potvin for the fourth-most 60-assist seasons by a defenseman in NHL history. The only players ahead of him now are Coffey (11), Bourque (10), and Orr (6).
Since arriving in Minnesota, Hughes has been dominant offensively. In just 34 games with the Wild, he has already piled up 39 assists, instantly transforming the team’s blue line and helping push Minnesota firmly into Stanley Cup contention.
Even in a short time with Minnesota, Hughes has already started rewriting the Wild record books. He set a franchise record with an 11-game assist streak by a defenseman and has already surpassed Marek Zidlicky for the most points by a Wild defenseman in their first season with the team.
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Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been impressed with the immediate impact Hughes has made. “As for Quinn, he’s all about hockey, he worked hard at being one of the guys and getting acclimated as quickly as he can. Man, he hit the ground running,” Guerin said.
“And the impact he had on our team, you know, individually, as a team, how he helped other players, you know, market going crazy for him, I mean he’s helped us in so many different ways, you can’t really explain,” he added.
With Hughes driving the offense from the back end, the Wild suddenly looks like a legitimate contender.
