Article: Does The Quinn Hughes Trade Make The Wild True Contenders?

[Luke Sims]

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[Enforceror]

I heard from Fred that Hughes is too short to be a difference maker.

[MNCountryLife]

The central is brutal.  As good as we are playing, the Stars are just as good in the last 10 and the Avs are even better.  There are good odds we will play Dallas and then the Avs in the first 2 rounds.  The road to the cup will be a difficult one.  Sure wish they would seed them better.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

The Wild do have the potential to make a trade like the Brock Nelson deal that the Avalanche made last year. They didn't go to the finals, but if Guerin can find the right veteran to pull from a team that isn't playoff bound, and the Wild can be fairly healthy at playoff time, maybe they can be a true contender this year.

[FredJohnson]

Contenders? Yes.

Favorites? No.

[Patrick]

Based on this year Boldy is better than KK.

A few points to consider.

- KK has played 4 games more 5 v 5 minutes than Boldy (88 minutes). Despite this Boldy has 2 more points 5v5.

- Boldy is matched up against the other teams best line every night while KK gets the softest matchups the coaching staff can find.

- Boldy is +11, KK is +1.

- Boldy is an elite PK guy and is borderline elite defensively while KK is below average defensively

Conclusion: We have TWO franchise forwards! Put that in your chart!