When Quinn Hughes takes the ice with his new teammates Sunday, a hockey-crazed community is expected to deliver a loud and clear message: Welcome to Minnesota.
Or, as some fans already are calling it, Quinn-esota.
Hughes is expected to make his debut with the Wild when they face off against the Boston Bruins on Sunday evening in Saint Paul, Minn. The milestone comes two days after the Wild acquired the star defenseman from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for three highly touted young players and a 2026 first-round pick.
“It’s a big-time move,” Wild forward Matt Boldy said. “It makes our team better. He’s one of the best defensemen, if not the best, in the whole league.”
Hughes, 26, joins a Wild team that is looking for its fourth win in a row. Minnesota improved to 13-2-2 in its last 17 games following a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.
Now the Wild will turn their attention to Boston, which has won four straight games and five out of its past six. The Bruins have outscored opponents 20-8 during their four-game win streak, including a 6-3 victory on the road against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.
David Pastrnak leads Boston with 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 27 games. Morgan Geekie ranks second with 35 points (22 goals, 13 assists), and Pavel Zacha has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists).
Bruins coach Marco Sturm said his players would need to be focused for a tough road game.
“They made a pretty aggressive trade (Friday) night, so we just have to make sure we’re going to be ready to go (Sunday),” Sturm said. “Because that building will be buzzing.”
Boston likely will turn to Jeremy Swayman in net. He is 13-7-0 with a 2.67 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage this season, and he is 1-3-0 with a 1.78 GAA and a .942 save percentage in four career games against the Wild.
Minnesota is expected to counter with Filip Gustavsson in net one day after fellow goaltender Jesper Wallstedt made the start against Ottawa. Gustavsson is 9-8-3 with a 2.64 GAA and a .907 save percentage this season, and he is 1-1-0 with a 2.03 GAA and a .938 save percentage in two career games against the Bruins.
Joel Eriksson Ek will look to stay hot for the Wild after he scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute Saturday. He blasted a one-timer from a sharp angle for his seventh goal.
As for Hughes, he is set to become a free agent after the end of next season, and there is no guarantee that he will sign a contract extension with the Wild.
However, Wild general manager Bill Guerin is betting that Hughes quickly will come to appreciate playing in Minnesota. The first glimpse into that gambit will come Sunday.
“He just loves hockey, and I think there’s no better market than Minnesota to be a hockey player,” Guerin said. “I believe in our team and our culture and our organization and our market, our fans. Hockey’s in the fabric here, and I think he’ll really like it.”
