The Minnesota Wild advanced to Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they will face the Colorado Avalanche who won the President's Trophy. The main reason why the Wild are moving forward is the play of defenseman Quinn Hughes. Remember, Wild General Manager Bill Guerin went back in December, trading Hughes to the Vancouver Canucks.
Guerin had just signed Kirill Kaprizov to a record-breaking deal and knew he needed a game-changer in the backfield for his team to win the Stanley Cup. He decided to go all in to find the defenseman, who previously played in Vancouver. Guerin's gamble pays off for the Wild. Quinn Hughes set a Wild franchise record with 53 points in 48 regular season games.
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Not to mention his puck numbers were the best in the NHL. Quinn Hughes is one of the different players from the backend. There's a reason why he and Cale Makar are considered two of the best defensemen in the NHL.
TSN hockey analyst Martin Biron joined Jay Onrait on SportsCenter Thursday and was asked about Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes' performance against the Dallas Stars in Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and why he was so dominant in the backfield.
Writing for NHLRumors.com
Jay Onrait: “Minnesota GM, Bill Guerin, gave up a lot to get Quinn Hughes, as you know, Marty, and he expected him to be a difference maker in a series like this, and that's exactly what he was. He had eight points. He had more points than any defenseman in the series. What stood out to you, Marty, and Hughes working in this first round?”
Martin Biron: “Puck possession before Game 6, Quinn Hughes had the puck for 26 minutes in the first five games of that series. The next closest player in the NHL was at 18 minutes. Consider that he had the puck eight minutes more than anyone else in the National Hockey League, in the playoffs. And if you look at the great Quinn, Hughes of the defense had only two goals, only two goals goals in 35 career playoff games, so two goals in Game 6 is impressive.
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But the way he controls the game, the way he walks the green line, the way even on defense, he takes the puck away from Dallas, and he holds onto the puck, waiting for the right play to be there. It's magical to see Quinn Hughes play at his best. And he was at his best against Dallas.
Now they'll need Quinn Hughes to be that way, or, even better, against Colorado, obviously against Cale Makar. This will be a great defensive game, but if you have the puck that Quinn Hughes had in the first round, you can't lose. It's as simple as that. The best player has the puck the most; equals winning. That's what we saw in the first round in Minnesota.”
Expect more of the same from Quinn Hughes in Round 2 against the Colorado Avalanche if the Wild want to return to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2003.
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