Former Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild will not be advancing to the conference finals of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Despite keeping things competitive, the Wild ultimately dropped their second-round series against the Colorado Avalanche in five games. After surrendering the first two games to the Avalanche, Minnesota won Game 3 on home-ice, but lost both Games 4 and 5 en route to their elimination.
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Hughes finished the post-season with four goals and 11 assists in 11 games played. Seven of these points came against the Avalanche, most of which were the product of a 9–6 Game 1 in which Hughes scored a goal and two assists.
This was Hughes’ first playoff run since the 2023–24 season, during which Vancouver was eliminated in Game 7 of the second round by the Edmonton Oilers. The defenceman’s only other post-season run came during the 2020 Bubble Playoffs, in which Vancouver also lost in Game 7 of the second round.
Minnesota made it past the first-round of the post-season with a six-game series win against the Dallas Stars, with this being the first time they have won a playoff series since 2015. The Wild have yet to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Despite Vancouver not coming close to making the post-season, Minnesota’s series loss greatly benefits the Canucks. Having acquired the Wild’s first-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, Vancouver will now end up with a higher pick than if Minnesota were to advance to the next round. In nearly all situations, this means Vancouver will receive the 24th-overall selection. However, if the Anaheim Ducks advance over the Vegas Golden Knights, that selection will turn into the 23rd-overall pick.
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With the Wild eliminated, Colorado will move onto the Western Conference Final, facing the winner of the Ducks and Golden Knights’ series. As it stands, Vegas currently has a 3–2 in that series.
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