Wild President Bill Guerin delighted at trade that landed Quinn Hughes from Vancouver

Bill Guerin was rolling meatballs Friday when his phone rang with an answer he and the Wild had been seeking for mere days ... but a transformation they’d been eyeing for much longer.

After peeling off the latex gloves he was wearing while preparing his wife Kara’s recipe for Christmas Eve, Guerin heard from his Vancouver counterpart, Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford. He confirmed the two sides had a deal that was like Christmas morning, midnight on New Year’s Day, and the Fourth of July fireworks all rolled into one for the Wild.

“There was a fist-pump involved,” Guerin deadpanned.

Over Guerin’s meatballs, the Wild made the biggest trade in franchise history, acquiring superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes in the prime of his career.

They sent Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren to the Canucks as well as a first-round draft pick in a blockbuster that came together after Guerin contacted Rutherford on Monday while leaving a scouting trip in New York.

Through eight seasons, Hughes became the greatest defenseman Vancouver has ever had and its captain after he was drafted seventh overall in 2018.

He won a Norris Trophy in 2024 as the NHL’s best defender after a career-high 92 points led the position league-wide.

The Canucks believed moving Hughes in the first half of this season would maximize their return, and multiple teams expressed interest.

But the Wild’s offer was the best.

“Definitely wasn’t expecting it,” said Brock Faber, who could team up with Hughes on the Wild blue line. “It was a bit shocking, and you hate to see those guys go. But, obviously, you love to see him come. [He’s] one of, if not the, best defensemen in the league, so it’s awesome.

“It’s going to be an absolute treat because he’s terrible to play against, so having him on our side is going to be incredible.”

Although Hughes didn’t have any trade or movement protections in his contract, Vancouver wanted to accommodate him, and Hughes was on board with joining the Wild.

“He’s a special player,” said Guerin, who as general manager of Team USA has already named Hughes to its roster for next year’s Olympics after Hughes had to miss last season’s 4 Nations Face-Off because of injury. “These opportunities don’t present themselves all that often. So, we feel fortunate, and I just love the way the deal went down because I really, I really think we got what we were looking for, and I think Vancouver got what they were looking for.

“They got three really good young players that are going to help build their team, and we got a franchise defenseman.”

Rossi, Buium and Ohgren were all first-round picks under amateur scouting director Judd Brackett, who previously worked for Vancouver and drafted Hughes.

The final trade was the Wild’s initial offer, and Guerin felt it wouldn’t have been finalized if Buium wasn’t included.

Buium projects to become a similar player to Hughes, but he’s a rookie and Hughes is already at the top of his game.

Although the Wild could still use help up the middle, the emergence of rookie Danila Yurov enabled the Wild to lose their No. 1 center in Rossi.

Yurov had taken Rossi’s spot alongside Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, when healthy.

“I was excited,” Kaprizov said. “A big trade for us. It’s nice to have him.”

With Hughes on a six-year, $47.1 million deal that has a manageable $7.85 million cap hit, the Wild are confident they still have enough money to adjust their roster.

“I’m not worried about our center depth at all,” Guerin said. “We still have flexibility. Who knows what we can do in the future, but I’m really comfortable with where we are.”

Asked if he received assurance that Hughes would re-sign with the Wild, Guerin said, “You can’t make promises. After the deal is done, talking to Quinn and Quinn’s agent, I think Quinn will really like it here. He’s a hockey nut. He watches every game. He knows what’s going on in the league.

“Getting to know him through the 4 Nations process, he just loves hockey, and I think there’s no better market than Minnesota to be a hockey player. 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.”

The Wild do have an advantage in trying to re-sign Hughes, which can happen as soon as July 1.

They are the only team that will be able to offer him eight years, since the new collective bargaining agreement that goes into effect before next season will limit max deals to seven years. Signing bonuses will also be capped.

Even with Kaprizov’s record-breaking eight-year, $136 million deal kicking in next year, the Wild should still have enough cap space to keep Hughes when his current contract expires after next season.

On the ice, the Wild have gone from a top-10 team to a legit contender with Hughes.

Guerin had been looking for that endorsement but didn’t rush to give it.

Since taking over in 2019, he’s idled at the trade deadline and was a minor player in free agency when the Wild didn’t have money to spend. Even when they did, like last summer after the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts finally dropped to a nominal cost, they were patient, with Guerin believing the opportunity to go all-in would come in-season via a trade.

Once it did, the Wild’s splash was a cannonball.

“When it’s a player of this caliber,” Guerin said, “the right time’s always now.”

“He has that elite mind that he can see plays before they happen,” said Hynes, who previously coached Hughes at the world championship. “He can turn plays that some guys can’t make, and that’s what makes him a special player.”

Hughes is a quarterback all the time, not just on the power play, because of how he breaks out of his own zone and sets up his teammates, his passing ability and puck touches another unique strength.

He had two goals and 21 assists through 26 games with the last-place Canucks, all while leading the league in average ice time at 27 minutes, 26 seconds.

“All he wants to do is win and be a part of something special,” Guerin said. “He’s really excited.”

While Guerin cautioned that the Wild don’t expect Hughes to “save the world,” he does better equip them to challenge Colorado and Dallas — for seeding in the Central Division and ultimately the playoffs.

“It’s a big-time move. It makes our team better,” Matt Boldy said. “He’s one of the best defenseman, if not the best, in the whole league.”

But a trade like this doesn’t just send a message to Wild players.

It also tells the rest of the league that the Wild have cracked open their Stanley Cup window, for at least as long as Hughes is here.

“I believe in our players,” Guerin said. “I believe in this team. I believe in what we’re doing here, and adding somebody like Quinn, I think the guys are happy. We have an extremely competitive division. You’re going through the meat grinder here.

“We respect our opponents, but we want to do our own thing, too. We want to compete for the Stanley Cup.”