\n\tEntering the postseason, the Minnesota Wild’s hopes for success\u00a0more or less boiled down to:\u00a0They have Quinn Hughes<\/a> this time<\/em>.<\/span>\u00a0It was a great reason for hope. <\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tWild fans watched the superstar defenseman elevate<\/a> their favorite team for 48 games this season, supercharging the power play and picking up the pace at 5-on-5. After years of losing to superstar defensemen like Alex Pietrangelo<\/a> (2025, 2021), Miro Heiskanen<\/a> (2023), and Hughes (2020), Minnesota finally had a difference-making blueliner of their own.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tHughes has four points through four games. However, with the Wild tied 2-2 in their series with the Dallas Stars, fans are looking for a bit more from their world-class defenseman. Hughes has been a main culprit in the team’s power-play woes<\/a>, and at 5-on-5,\u00a0Brock Faber<\/a>‘s terrific play<\/a>\u00a0is outshining him.\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\tThere’s no denying that Hughes hasn’t looked quite so dynamic through the first four games, whether because of his pre-series illness<\/a>, an undisclosed injury, or a mere slump. Still, even a less-than-100% Hughes is finding a way to make a positive difference against the Stars.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\t