Quinn Hughes more than made his presence known when he returned to Vancouver as a member of the Minnesota Wild.
Hughes was the First Star in his homecoming after recording an assist and scoring a goal in the matchup. To put icing on the cake, Hughes also scored his 500th career point against the Canucks.
Kevin Woodley of NHL.com perfectly described the atmosphere and the moment when Hughes recorded his 500th point:
“Hughes, who was booed every time he touched the puck but received a mix of cheers during a first period video tribute, scored on the power play at 12:55 of the second period to put the Wild ahead 3-0. He passed into the low slot to Joel Eriksson Ek from behind the net, then skated around to the other side to put the rebound into an open net for his 500th point in his 520th game, making him the seventh fastest defenseman all-time — and second fastest American defenseman after Brian Leetch (496 games) — to reach the milestone.”
Now that Hughes has 500 points (501 to be exact) in the rearview, he can now turn his attention toward catching Leetch. Leetch, who enjoyed an incredible Hall of Fame career, finished with 1,028 points in 1,205 games.
That puts Hughes on track to pass Leetch should he play in as many contests and continue to score at his current pace. He would end his career with 1,161 points.
Quinn Hughes On Pace To Catch Leetch, Other NHL Defensemen
A 1,161-point pace would put Hughes on track to ultimately pass Nicklas Lidstrom, who has 1,142 points, on the all-time list regardless of nationality. Other top-10 scoring defensemen Hughes is on pace to pass include Chris Chelios, Larry Robinson, Leetch, and Denis Potvin.
Hughes will have to race quite a few active players, too. Erik Karlsson (947 points), Brent Burns (878 as a defenseman), Victor Hedman (815), Kris Letang (811), John Carlson (790), and Roman Josi (788), among others, remain ahead of Hughes.
There are also younger players like Cale Makar (518) and Evan Bouchard (354 points) who Hughes is either racing or trying to stay ahead of. Despite having his work cut out for him, Hughes has put himself in a good position.
In 2026-27, he is currently second on the team with 16 points in 13 games. That puts him on an 84-game pace to hit between 103 and 104 points, which would be a career high over the 92 he scored in 2023-24.
Hughes, Minnesota Wild, Look To Keep Dominating
Given Hughes’ point total and the impact he has on games, he will continue to be one of the primary puzzle pieces for Minnesota. Playing in arguably the NHL’s toughest division, Hughes’ efficacy in all three zones will be paramount to Minnesota’s overall success.
Right now, he has been a big reason why the Wild are top-10 in the league in goals for (41) and goals against (30). At even strength, Minnesota has found the net 16 times with Hughes on the ice. Defensively? Hughes has an on-ice save percentage of 93.6. Minnesota has also watched just seven opponents’ shots find the net when Hughes is in the game at even strength.
If Hughes keeps doing his job, Minnesota’s chances of winning the Central are that much better. If he keeps producing points, expect him to keep cutting into those leads some of the NHL’s greatest defensemen have on him. He should even pass up a few current players in the process.
Hughes and the Minnesota Wild will get another chance to keep their dominance going on Tuesday when they face the Utah Mammoth.
Minnesota Wild Star Reaches NHL Milestone In Homecoming Amid Boos