ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Central Division is a gauntlet, with the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild currently three of the four teams in the NHL standings.
Let's put it this way: The Wild are fourth in the league with 43 points -- a total that would have them leading both the Pacific and Atlantic Divisions.
Yet, they're third in the Central.
If the season ended today -- and all Wild fans know that there's a lot of hockey to be played and that the team has a history of falling off in-season after stretches like its current 16-3-2 run -- Minnesota would be on an opening-round collision course with Dallas.
That means one of the current top-four teams in the league wouldn't get out of the first round -- and that the top wild-card team will have an easier road to the conference final than any of the top three teams in the Central. It's a daunting setup, considering that the Wild haven't gotten to Round 2 since 2015, with the Stars being responsible for two of those first-round exits.
But this is another reason that acquiring Quinn Hughes in his prime made so much sense, especially if Minnesota can convince him to stick around beyond the two years left on his contract.
An all-world defenseman on the back end could be just the catalyst to finally make the Wild a true Cup contender. The Avs have that with Cale Makar. The Stars have that with Miro Heiskanen.
And now the Wild have that with Quinn Hughes.
It almost didn't seem real to see him on the ice at Grand Casino Arena on Sunday night in his Wild-green No. 43 sweater.
Still, in a conversation with The Athletic on Monday morning, Wild president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin said the meat grinder of a division and knowing the Wild may have to face the Avs or Stars in the first round never even entered his thinking before pursuing Hughes and ultimately landing the 26-year-old star.
"Honestly, I didn't do it because of the division," Guerin said. "I did it because of who he is -- like the player. I don't worry about the division. I just worry about him."
The NHL wants rivalry matchups in the playoffs, and anyway, in Guerin's mind, this is the format and there's nothing he can do about that. So in order to be the best, you've got to beat the best, whether that's in the first round or the final round.
"At some point in time, we have to get to the second, third and fourth round," Guerin said. "This is a step in the way because you need guys like this to get there. But I believe in this team. Yes, our division is a meat grinder, but I only worry about us and helping us compete for a Cup. And Quinn Hughes helps us further advance toward that."
Zeev Buium said he has so much appreciation and respect for Zach Bogosian, his now-former Wild defensive partner, that he chose the No. 24 in Vancouver in homage to Hall of Famer Chris Chelios and Bogosian, "who I love very much."
There's no doubt the veteran leader took Buium under his wing.
"Really cool," Bogosian said. "He's such a great kid. Really enjoyed playing and spending time with him. You come across a lot of people in this game and make lifelong friendships, but that bond we shared was special. Even though it was short-lived, we had a ton of fun together. He kept me young and laughing. That's what most people don't understand is, yes, we are hockey players, but that's only for two or three hours a day. The rest of the time being spent together is away from the rink, around family and friends.
"I can't say enough about him as a person to even do it justice. For him to pick 24 made me smile, although his 24 might look a little more flashy than this 24."
Trading Buium wasn't easy for the Wild, but the reality is that while Buium looks like he'll be a star and could possibly one day reach Hughes' status, Hughes is already arguably the second-best defenseman in the NHL.
And this blockbuster does not happen unless Buium is in it.
"Look, Zeev, I love that kid," Guerin said. "He's a special kid. He's a special human. Getting to know him and his family, Vancouver got three really good young quality guys (along with Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren). If Quinn Hughes wasn't available, they'd still be here, and I was totally fine with that. But you have to give something to get something."
Buium, after scoring the winning goal in his debut Canucks win in New Jersey, told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, "I don't think anything they told me was a lie. I really don't. Bill Guerin is an unbelievable person. He's such a smart guy. He wants to try and win now, and that's a move he thought was best for the team. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for the team.
"I don't think it's (Guerin) saying, 'You're not good enough,' or, 'We don't believe in you.' But I think he sees me needing to develop a little bit more. I think it works out for both teams. I'm going to do my best to show the Canucks that they made a good trade. Hopefully, I can turn into a player like that."
What a smart, mature kid.
Former Wild star Zach Parise received a pretty strong ovation from the Grand Casino Arena crowd last week when he was introduced with the other members of this year's U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class.
For Parise, it was a special honor, especially going in with Scott Gomez and Joe Pavelski. The retired winger racked up 199 goals and 400 points over nine seasons with the Wild. While it didn't end the way everyone wanted, with Parise and Ryan Suter bought out in July 2021, Parise said he was "very fortunate" to spend so much time with his hometown team.
"A lot of kids, growing up, would have loved to do that, and I was no different," Parise said. "To get that chance, it was great. I loved it. My family loved it. And we stayed here after. It's a place we've called home for a long time."
Parise has enjoyed retirement, spending most of his time coaching his kids' hockey teams out of the Edina area.
"It gives you that fix you're looking for," he said.
Declan Chisholm is set to play in his first game back in Minnesota since getting traded during last June's draft to the Washington Capitals.
After practicing in St. Paul on Monday, the 25-year-old left-shot defenseman said that while it was initially sad to leave Minnesota, he has really enjoyed the group with the Capitals and living in Arlington, Virginia, where he and his wife, Kate, bought a house.
Chisholm said he understood the reason for the trade (for a fourth-round pick and Chase Priskie, who was never signed by the Wild), as Guerin was concerned about how much money the young defenseman would make if they went to arbitration -- and to play a potential seventh-defenseman role. Chisholm was looking for a two-year deal and got a two-year, $3.2 million contract ($1.6 million average annual value) with the Capitals. He's played 12 games, scoring two assists and averaging 14:47 of ice time.
Chisholm was appreciative of the Wild giving him a chance after claiming him off waivers from Winnipeg. He played 95 games over two seasons with Minnesota.
"It was definitely a stepping stone that I needed," Chisholm said. "I didn't really have any experience in the league. And Minny gave me a bunch of that, especially last year with some injuries, so I got play pretty much a full season."
Because of the schedules of the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, the Minneapolis hotel where many NHL teams stay felt like a host hotel for a youth tournament, NESN's Andy Brickley joked.
The Senators and Bruins, who played back-to-back in Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday, were at the hotel at the same time, and as the Bruins checked out Sunday, the Capitals were checking in.
Joel Eriksson Ek scored three goals and seven points during the Wild's 4-0 week last week and was named the NHL's third star of the week behind the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid and Detroit Red Wings' John Gibson.
Eriksson Ek had a three-point game in Seattle, a two-point game against Dallas, scored the tie-breaking goal with 24 seconds left against Ottawa and had an assist against Boston.The 28-year-old, in his 10th season, has been masterful defensively this season and has been on a torrid pace of late offensively when the injury-riddled team most needed it.