It’s been a crazy few days in the NHL. The The Edmonton Oilers have acquired Tristan Jarrythe Buffalo Sabers fired Kevyn Adams and named Jarmo Kekalainen as their new general manager, and the Minnesota Wild acquired star defenseman Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks.
While Jarry and Adams are notable shakeups, the Wild’s acquisition of Hughes sent shockwaves through the NHL. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are the cream of the crop in the West, but should the Wild be on the same level as these two teams after trading for Hughes?
Hughes makes a good Wild Blue Line even better
The Wild got off to a slow start this season, but they were already heading in the right direction before acquiring Hughes. They had an 18-9-5 record before adding Hughes to their roster, and they should only improve from here. There is already a 10-point gap between them and the Avalanche, so they may not be able to catch the Avs, but they have solidified their position as a playoff contender in the Central and Western Conference.
Even before Hughes was acquired, the Wild had one of the better blue lines in the NHL. Jared Spurgeon isn’t what he was in his prime, but he’s still a solid defender. Meanwhile, Jonas Brodin is still at the height of his powers and is one of the better two-way defensemen in the league.
Brock Faber isn’t what people think he is, but Hughes can help bring out the best in him. While his defensive numbers were down this season with the Canucks, that was likely a result of being on the worst team in the NHL. They should improve with the Wild, especially if they get a little healthier. And Faber should benefit from this, as should Filip Hronek, who had the best season of his career alongside Hughes in 2023/24.
Offensively, only Cale Makar may have the edge over Hughes among NHL defensemen. He is a dynamic playmaker from behind and has elite skating skills. As good as some of the Wild’s defensemen are, they didn’t have anyone close to Hughes’ abilities offensively. He will add another dimension at five-on-five, and the power play they didn’t have before they acquired him.
Since the start of the 2023-24 season, the Canucks have averaged 2.90 expected goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five when Hughes was on the ice, a top-20 rate among NHL defensemen. The Canucks were also a significantly worse team when Hughes was off the ice, as their xG% dropped from 54.09 to 47.61. He will be a game-changer for the Wild, just like he was for the Canucks, but there are still some concerns about the Wild’s roster.
Wild have questionable center depth
Hughes is a game changer for the Wild’s blue line, but will he put them in the same tier as the Avalanche, Stars and even the Vegas Golden Knights? The Wild gave up enough to acquire Hughes. Zeev Buium has top-pairing potential as a defenseman, but that isn’t as important since they acquired Hughes. Where the Wild may run into some issues is in giving up Marco Rossi to land Hughes.
To be clear, I’m not saying the Wild should have stuck with Rossi. If that’s what you had to do to get Hughes, then do it, but center depth is a question mark for the Wild. Even before the Hughes trade, the Wild’s center depth was a concern. But without him, they are far from the same level as the Avalanche, Golden Knights or Stars.
As of today, the Wild have a middle group with Danila Yurov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Ryan Hartman and Nico Sturm. Yurov is a promising player, but he is not yet among the top six. Eriksson Ek is one of the best two-way centers in the NHL, but he’s a split in a Cup contender. Hartman and Sturm are good attackers in the bottom six positions, but that’s just that. Bottom six forwards.
It would clearly be unfair to compare the Wild’s centers to Nathan MacKinnon. Only Connor McDavid is better than MacKinnon, but the Avalanche’s center depth is quite good. Brock Nelson has established himself well as the team’s second-line center, while Jack Drury is a capable third-line pivot.
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The Stars have Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene, the latter of whom can play at center if necessary since they lost Tyler Seguin suffers a torn ACL. The Wild’s center depth doesn’t compare to theirs, or even to the Vegas Golden Knights, who have Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson.
What does this have to do with Hughes? As great as he is, you need a legitimate first-line center to be a true Cup contender. The Wild, Stars and Golden Knights all have legitimate first-line centers, while the Wild do not. That’s why, even after acquiring Hughes, I wouldn’t put the Wild in the same tier as the Avalanche, Stars and the Golden Knights.
This may seem controversial, but I don’t think the Wild’s acquisition of Hughes changes much in the Western Conference playoff picture. They are a good team, maybe even a very good team, but they are still no better than the aforementioned teams because they lack a true first-line center.
Perhaps some of that concern will be negated by elite wingers like Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, but acquiring another top-six center will be the next biggest task for GM Bill Guerin. If he doesn’t, it could come back to bite them in the playoffs if he doesn’t upgrade before the trade deadline.
That will be crucial for the Wild and Guerin, as they are likely on a collision course with the Stars of Avalanche in Round 1 of the playoffs. As of today, would I pick the Wild to win that series? I wouldn’t do that even with Hughes on the roster, as they don’t have the center depth to compete with the Stars or Avalanche.
Wild is still a level below other top teams in the West
That Hughes ended up with the Wild and not the New Jersey Devils or Detroit Red Wings was a shock to almost everyone. They have improved by adding him to their roster, but Guerin still has work to do. They are one center away from being on the same level as some of the other top contenders in the West. If they acquire one, they could be a threat for a run in the playoffs. But until then, they are still one level below the other top teams.
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