In: Quinn Hughes, Michael McCarron, Bobby Brink, Jeff Petry, Robby Fabbri, Nick Foligno
Out: Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ogren, David Jiricek, Vinnie Hinostroza, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 seventh-round pick, 2028 second-round pick
Grade: A+

The Wild’s heavy lifting was done with their mid-December blockbuster for Quinn Hughes, who has absolutely been a game-changer for the franchise.

President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin paid a hefty price — most notably dealing Marco Rossi and top prospect Zeev Buium — but Hughes has changed everything for Minnesota, from their breakouts and offensive generation to how they’re seen around the league: as legitimate Cup contenders.

With Hughes’ puck-moving prowess, plus two play-driving wingers in Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, there was less pressure on the Wild to go out and get a No. 1 center — at least, for now. The Wild tried, of course, pursuing the likes of Vincent Trocheck, Robert Thomas and Ryan O’Reilly.

But with the price points too high, Guerin elected to punt until the summer, saving his precious few trade chips to potentially land a bigger fish. Meanwhile, he added depth to make the roster thicker.

The Wild basically overhauled their bottom six.

Michael McCarron brings size, snarl and strong faceoff ability to the fourth line and the penalty kill. Think of what kind of force a fourth line of Marcus Foligno, McCarron and Yakov Trenin could be in a playoff series. Bobby Brink brings speed and skill to the middle six, plus he fits Minnesota’s defensive identity and forecheck. He’s a third-line right winger who could move up the lineup.

Robby Fabbri is a four-time 15-goal scorer who is open to any role and whose experience can help in the room.

Foligno, the former Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks captain, is another potential fourth-liner/depth piece who may not play much, but Chicago is doing the veteran a solid to give him a chance to chase the Cup with his brother, Marcus. Nick Foligno has played center all year, so that gives the coaching staff options.

Up front, these additions mean the Wild won’t have to dip into AHL Iowa for the likes of Ben Jones or Tyler Pitlick if injuries arise.

Jeff Petry (for a seventh-round pick) is an experienced, right-shot defenseman who is OK being a seventh or eighth defenseman. He’ll help in case Jared Spurgeon, Brock Faber or Zach Bogosian gets hurt, and is someone they’re more comfortable with than the options they have in Iowa, including David Spacek. The move makes more sense now that the Wild have dealt David Jiricek to the Philadelphia Flyers for Brink.

The Wild didn’t make any flashy moves at the deadline — the Hughes addition brought plenty of that — meaning Guerin and company still have useful assets they can parlay into a bigger move this offseason.

This is still a really good team and a Cup contender. Guerin showed some patience here, and time will tell whether the Wild reward his faith. — Joe Smith

What they’re saying

Brink’s former USA Under-18 coach John Wroblewski: “With Brink, I feel you get an underrated competitor who has untapped potential as an offensive catalyst. He has a unique way of finding quiet ice and then consistent handles and deliveries of the puck, whether shooting or passing. He reminds me of a young Sam Reinhart in the way he plays the game, and I think this is a great get. That he’s a Minnesota native and great kid are added bonuses.”

Marcus Foligno on playing with brother Nick: “Just crazy. It’s a crazy moment in our family, and just to know you’re going to play with your brother is a dream come true. I’ve got the shakes going right now. He wants to be a part of this group and to play with me, obviously. He feels kind of invested in this group for a while now. He just wants to help out any way he can. And hopefully, it’s a long ride.”

Blues coach Jim Montgomery on the addition of Hughes: “He’s such a dynamic player and now he gives them three dynamic players. To me, Kaprizov and Boldy are extremely dynamic, and they have support players with those three. I mean, it’s a really good hockey team. They’re playing a great brand of hockey. They’re hard to defend, and (Hughes) just makes them even harder.”

Nashville coach Andrew Brunette on how Hughes changes the Wild: “They were a really good team without him. And obviously, he’s a game-changer. He’s arguably the best — one of the best — guys back there. He probably changes the whole flow of the game for them. He plays 30 minutes for them. The way he breaks the puck out is as good as there is in our league. They were a really good team, and now they’re arguably a top two or three team in the league.”

Marcus Foligno on McCarron: “He’s always been a guy with the Predators who has done a really good job against our top lines, especially in Nashville. We always seemed to have been having tough games because he takes on a lot of minutes against guys like Kaprizov and (Joel Eriksson Ek), where he can counter pretty well against them. So to have him on our team now is great. I always liked the way he protected pucks. He’s responsible; rarely gets caught cheating the game. So to have that reliable guy that’s up the middle as well, big faceoff scenarios, it’ll help us out so much more now. It will be fun to play with him once I’m back.”

Guerin on Fabbri: “He’s a competitive guy. He’s always had speed. He’s a high-character kid. When I spoke to (Blues general manager) Doug Armstrong about him, he raved about his character and what type of person he is. I think he just needs a real good opportunity to play, and he’s been through a lot in his career, and he keeps fighting through, and he’s established himself as a solid NHL player. Sometimes it’s a change of scenery that can rejuvenate you or get you going again. I think a lot of times guys just need a different opportunity.”

What it means for the team’s lineup

There are two versions of this: the Wild lineup immediately after the deadline, and the one that includes injured players Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson. That will give a clearer picture of how the deadline adds fit.

At this point, the lineup looks like:

Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Tarasenko-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Trenin-Yurov-Brink
N. Foligno-Sturm-McCarron

Extra: Fabbri
Injured: M. Foligno, Johansson

Hughes-Faber
Brodin-Spurgeon
Middleton-Bogosian
Hunt-Petry

Gustavsson
Wallstedt

But for the playoffs, assuming a return to health, it could look like:

Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Tarasenko-Yurov-Brink
M. Foligno-McCarron-Trenin

Extras: Sturm, N. Foligno, Fabbri

Hughes-Faber
Brodin-Spurgeon
Middleton-Bogosian
Hunt-Petry

Gustavsson
Wallstedt

Trade grades

The trade: Wild get defenseman Quinn Hughes. Canucks get forward Marco Rossi, forward Liam Öhgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round draft pick.

Corey Pronman’s Wild grade: B-
Shayna Goldman’s Wild grade: A
Dom Luszczyszyn’s Wild grade: A

The trade: Wild get center Michael McCarron. Predators get a 2028 second-round draft pick.

Harman Dayal’s Wild grade: C+

The trade: Wild get forward Bobby Brink. Flyers get defenseman David Jiricek.

Corey Pronman’s Wild grade: B+
Harman Dayal’s Wild grade: B+

The trade: Wild get forward Nick Foligno. Blackhawks get future considerations.

James Mirtle’s Wild grade: B
Sean Gentile’s Wild grade: B-