Minnesota Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes missed practice on Thursday with an illness and the team is hopeful he’s be alright to play in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, head coach John Hynes told reporters.
John Hynes said Quinn Hughes has been sick. Why he didn’t practice today. He’s hopeful he’ll be good to go for Game 1 https://t.co/otZRAiBAcW
— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) April 16, 2026
Hughes, 26, was acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks in December in exchange for defenceman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a 2026 first-round draft pick.
The 2024 Norris Trophy winner registered five goals and 53 points in 48 games as a member of the Wild and had seven goals and 76 points in 74 games total split between the Wild and Canucks.
Hughes will be travelling with the team when the Wild head to Dallas for Game 1, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic.
The 5-foot-10, left-shot defenceman helped the Wild to a 46-24-12 record to finish third place in the Central Division and the third-best record in the Western Conference.
This will be Hughes’ third playoff appearance after helping Vancouver reach the post season in 2020 and 2024.
Drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes has 66 goals and 485 points in 507 career games split between the Canucks and Wild.
The Orlando, Fla., native is wrapping up the fifth season of his six-year, $47.1 million contract and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
