Dec 13, 2025; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild general manger Bill Guerin addresses the media about acquiring defensemen Quinn Hughes via trade from the Vancouver Canucks before a game against the Ottawa Senators at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

Wild Continuing Aggressive Push as Trade Deadline Nears

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Seth Dowdle | Last updated Feb 28, 2026 8:00 AM ET

The NHL trade deadline is less than a week away, and teams are positioning themselves to be either buyers or sellers.

One squad that is certainly in the former camp is the Minnesota Wild, which already made a major trade for superstar Quinn Hughes back in December. It was that deal, alongside spectacular play from other stalwarts on the roster like Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, that has set Minnesota up for a potential run at the Stanley Cup.

General manager Bill Guerin, who was also the architect of Team USA’s roster en route to the nation’s first Olympic gold medal in 46 years, said there are still areas the team needs to improve if it wants to reach its ultimate goal of winning a championship.

“We have work to do,” Guerin told Dan Barreiro of KFAN 100.3 on Feb. 26. “No rest for the weary, but hey, look, this is my day job, and we’ve got something else we want to accomplish. We want to make our team better if we can. It is what it is. We’ll keep working.”

Guerin, who was in Milan for the better part of the past month instead of back home manning the Wild, said he didn’t really get into deep discussions with other teams while at the Olympics.

“We would have informal conversations, but more in a group,” Guerin said. “We didn’t really get into it. We were so focused on what was going on. You hot stove it some nights, but no, we were really just focused on the Olympics and what was going on there.”

Everything is Possible with Quinn Hughes

The Wild have closed the gap on the Central Division-leading Colorado Avalanche over the past month and are now just five points back of taking the top spot not only in the division but in the entire NHL. Simply put, they’re one of the best teams in the league, and their aggressiveness on the trade market is a major reason why.

It takes just one glance at Hughes’ production in St. Paul to recognize that fact. Before he departed to tear up the Olympics in Milan, Hughes continued to show his prowess in North America. Through 54 games, he has scored five goals and 53 assists.

With one of the best defensemen in the NHL, all things are possible. With Hughes, the Wild are pushing all their chips to the middle of the table, which means they might not be done making moves. What exactly Minnesota and Guerin will do is still a mystery, though we’ll all find out soon enough.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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