TORONTO — Quinn Hughes is still navigating new surroundings.
Watch out when the smooth-skating, minute-crunching defenceman finally finds his groove.
Hughes picked up two more assists and was on the ice for four Minnesota Wild goals in a 6-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
Acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12 in a blockbuster trade, the 26-year-old has 20 points in 18 games for a franchise that signalled it’s firmly in win-now mode following the head-turning deal just over five weeks ago.
“I’m starting to get a little bit comfortable and understanding my teammates and the system,” Hughes said following the morning skate at Scotiabank Arena. “Little bit more of a process than probably what I anticipated, but they’ve made it really easy. The guys have been great.
“I feel like I’m getting to my game now.”
Hughes has partnered with Brock Faber on the blue line to give the Wild two elite puck-movers.
Hughes, who won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner in 2024, has two goals and 18 assists with Minnesota to give him a total of 43 points in 44 contests. Faber, meanwhile, has 10 goals and 20 assists in 50 appearances this season, with 15 of those points coming since Hughes arrived.
“You don’t realize how good he is until you see it and play with it,” said Faber, who also set up two goals Monday. “He’s only going to get better … such a great addition.”
Wild head coach John Hynes said Hughes offers a lot more than just offence to a group that sat 28-13-9 heading into Tuesday’s second of a back-to-back in Montreal against the Canadiens.
“What I respect about him most (is) just the type of teammate he is, his personality, coachable,” Hynes said. “He cares about defending.”
Wild forward Marcus Foligno said Hughes — set to represent the United States at the Milan Cortina Olympics next month — brought something different when he walked into the locker room.
“Confidence,” said the 34-year-old, who bagged the first hat trick of his career Monday. “Everyone’s playing with a little bit more swagger and possession of the puck and excitement. That’s what great players do, elite players do.
“They make everyone better around them, but at the same time, they elevate everybody’s excitement level.”
Hynes has also seen that jolt throughout the group.
“It’s a great message to the players that your general manager and your owner feel that they’ve earned the right to be able to try to make a move to get a guy like Quinn,” he said. “That invigorates your team.”
Hughes hasn’t had a chance to truly reflect on his time in Vancouver and with a franchise that had a brief surge of success before things completely fell apart last season.
“I’m trying to turn the page and use all my energy and focus towards everything I need to be doing here,” said Hughes, who was selected No. 7 overall at the 2018 draft and put up a career-high 92 points in 2023-24 with the Canucks. “But from time to time, you think about it.”
Hughes said part of his adjustment has been learning where he fits on a roster that sat third in the NHL’s overall standings in the ultracompetitive Central Division heading into Tuesday’s action.
He’s also going to do his thing.
“They traded for you for a reason — you have to be you,” Hughes said. “It’s not ‘The Quinn Hughes Show’ … there’s great players here and it’s a great team.
“I just want to do my part.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2026.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
