There was a blockbuster trade last week that took everyone by surprise, as the Minnesota Wild acquired defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for a substantial package in return that included forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
It was a major swing for the Wild, who have now vastly improved their back end thanks to the addition of one of the game's premier left-handed blue liners.
In reaction to the trade, a pair of rival general managers are reacting to the move that Wild GM Bill Guerin pulled off.
“That was a big trade for both teams and those deals are not easy to get over the finish line, so you have to give Billy (Guerin) and Patrik (Allvin) a lot of credit for finding common ground,” Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland said via The Athletic. “Obviously, there are so many good teams in our division, and it will make for some great hockey the rest of the way in what should be an exciting second half.”
“Great move by Billy,” Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill said. “There was an opportunity, and they grabbed it. The part that people don’t understand is they had the assets to do it. So they’ve done a good job to have the assets to make that trade. It’s similar to the trade we made for Rantanen last year. I don’t think Billy Guerin started the year thinking, ‘Boy, we’re going to get Quinn Hughes. Let’s plan for that.’ You can never plan for those things, much like we didn’t plan for Rantanen. But if you’ve done a good job with your organization and your team, and you have the assets, it gives you a chance to get those types of players.
Hughes has already made an impact on the Wild, helping them beat the Boston Bruins on home ice by scoring a goal in the third period.
The Wild have taken a major swing to improve their Stanley Cup chances
The Wild have not been beyond the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2015 when they defeated the St. Louis Blues in the Western Conference Quarterfinal. Since then, they've either missed the postseason outright, or been eliminated in the opening round.
With the acquisition of Hughes, Guerin has proven that he's serious about wanting to improve the chances of his team to not only win a round in the postseason, but to go on an extended run for what would be the first time since their third year of existence when they advanced to the Western Conference Final, losing in a sweep to the Anaheim Ducks.
