The blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes transformed the Wild's season, delivering immediate impact and propelling them to the second round for the first time in a decade.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - As Minnesota Wild head coach John Hynes said it best, the team got an instant boost when Bill Guerin pulled off the blockbuster to acquire Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks.
The hope, when the trade happened, was that the Wild would end the drought. There is no hoping anymore. It happened.
Hughes has boosted the Wild to the second round for the first time in 11 years.
"Yeah. I think when Quinny got here, it was a real boost I think to the team and the players," Hynes said postgame. "One, that Billy and Craig made the commitment to go after a player like Hughes and found a way to get him. I think it gave a huge vote of confidence in their belief in the team and I think within the group of guys, when you add a player like him, that was a boost. And then probably the I would say the second part of that is who he is. How he plays. The type of character he has, fit in really well with the group. He’s a great teammate. So you’re adding a superstar player that’s a superstar person."
Hughes, 26, shattered records when he burst on the scene in Minnesota. He scored in his first game in a Wild sweater. For what was only a sign of what was to come.
He broke virtually every single-season defensemen record for assists and points. He had streaks that put him among NHL greats and he became someone the Wild have never experienced before.
Most importantly, when Hughes came here, he talked about how much he was looking forward to this team. Since day 1 he believed this team had a chance to go somewhere. Now they are going somewhere they hadn't been since Hughes was 15 years old.
"I just think we have such a good team," Hughes said. "Like that Stars team, whatever they were the third best team in the league throughout the regular season. They were a helluva team. A really really good team. I just think back to piggybacking off what Bolds said there, I think him and Kirill and Ekker and Zuccy and Brock, I mean they were all beasts this series. Our depth scoring and how hard we are to play against and how good Wally was.
"Our coaching staff and how they coached us. They kind of just preached continuing to attack. There wasn't a lot of, keep it safe, do this, do that. We were trying to win, which I love. Every time I talk to my dad and call him and ask him how my game was, he's always talking about that fourth line and how much he loves them. It was a full team effort. The pressure they apply on the other team and then we can roll out and kind of play our game. To answer your question, I think we have a really good team and a lot of guys chipped in. Just happy for the group that we were able to win the series."
For Marcus Foligno, it was simple. This is why Guerin brought in Hughes. This is why he traded as much as he did to get him.
He is worth every penny.
I asked Guerin when the trade happened and why he felt this was the right time to trade for him. He responded by saying, "Because it is Quinn Hughes."
For this game. For this series. That is why.
“Yeah. Not saying in the past but there’s things he does he pulls away from a team that keeps it close, right? He can do those things. Every time we play against other teams, there’s special players that do something special and we had an abundance from him and Bolds and Fabes and Kirill, and it was huge<" Foligno said. "We’re pumped to have him here and I mean just to see the excitement the fans have with him every time he touches a puck it’s so much confidence.”
Foligno, 34, has been in the league for 15 years and 931 games. Yet he still believes he has never seen a defenseman of Hughes' caliber. For a defenseman to take control of a game like Hughes did on Thursday night was remarkable.
“No, honest to God, I’m not making comparables but I don’t know a D in the league that just even when you got guys that pressure him going back to our zone, he doesn’t throw it away. He doesn’t give it to someone to get it off. You want to check him and forecheck him, he’s probably one of the slipperiest guys in the league. Yeah, we’re thankful we have him on our team.”
In the opening mintues of the first period, Hughes scored his first of the series which sent the arena into orbit.
But Dallas was able to respond back with two consecutive goals and take a 2-1 lead in the second period.
That was of course until one mintue later when Hughes set up Tarasenko in front of Jake Oettinger for his first of the series.
In the third, Brock Faber received it from Mats Zuccarello before he sent it to Hughes. The 5-foot-10 defender walked towards the slot and instead of shooting it into Oettinger, he throw it towards the blue paint.
The decision worked. It was the game-winner.
"I mean, there was a lot of traffic back there. You know Hartzy was going and I was just trying to get it out to him with Otter coming out so far on me," Hughes said. "I feel like I've had a bunch of opportunities throughout the series where I kind of would have shot that or whatnot. I just kept that in the back of my mind that maybe one of these times, just chuck one backdoor and see what happens. That's kind of what you saw there."
Matt Boldy was able to score twice into the empty net and help ice it for Minnesota. It was his fifth and sixth of the series. Yet he deflected it all on Hughes.
"Yeah I don't want to be too nice with him sitting right next to me. What he's capable of doing as a hockey player is pretty special. I think you see that," Boldy said. "Ever since he's come to Minnesota, the jump that we made as a team in every aspect of our game has been better with him being on our team. When one player has that much of an impact and leads the way he does and steps up in the biggest moments, it's pretty special to have him on the ice and have him have the puck."
For years, the Wild have chased this moment.
They’ve talked about belief, about taking the next step, about breaking through.
It took a bold move, a superstar defenseman, and a team willing to follow his lead. Now they have finally got there.
And now, with Hughes leading the way, this run might not be finished yet.
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