Quinn Hughes complete a Wild few days with a goal in first game with Minnesota

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A “Welcome to Minnesota” message played on the video board during a first period break, and Minnesota Wild fans loudly welcomed Quinn Hughes to the self-proclaimed “State of Hockey.”

Hughes did not seem to notice because he had his head turned to the right and was talking defensive strategy with assistant coach Jack Capuano.

It was almost apropos that Hughes didn’t know which way to look after what could be described as a head-spinning couple of days.

“It’s been a whirlwind for sure. I’m just looking forward to kind of getting my feet on the ground and get with the team here and get in a day-to-day lifestyle here,” he said after scoring once in Sunday’s 6-2 win over Boston. “The last 48 hours have been a lot, but I was excited to go play the game.”

The comments were his first since Hughes was acquired in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver on Friday. The Wild gave up three former first-round picks — Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren — and a 2026 first-round pick to acquire one of the league’s top blueliners.

“It felt a little bit like we had a little more swagger out there today,” goalie Filip Gustavsson said.

Wild coach John Hynes noted Hughes didn’t get as much as a pregame skate before playing for real with his new teammates. Puck drop was 5 p.m. local time.

“Overall, I thought it was exciting to have him, and obviously you see the type of player he is. I think he fits in well with our group and the way that we wanna play,” Hynes said.

Hughes received rousing ovations when he hit the ice for warmups and when he was the last player to leave the frozen surface.

“I wasn’t expecting that. But that was very cool. I know it’s a hockey market but that was exciting,” Hughes said.

“Warm-ups I think was the loudest I’ve ever heard it since I’ve played here,” said Brock Faber, who was paired with Hughes as the Wild’s top defensive pairing. “It doesn’t happen often that a guy like that gets moved, so it was really cool and it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch for our fans.”

There’s been speculation Hughes would like to join in his two younger brothers in New Jersey, when his contract expires after the 2026-27 season.

Hughes remains open minded.

“I’ve only been here four hours but getting to know some of the guys and how energetic and positive guys are and then Minnesota being so close to Michigan and just the State of Hockey and the passion here,” Hughes said, before referencing what general Manager Bill Guerin gave up for him.

“There are other teams that probably could have thrown in certain packages like that, too, but at the end of the day they didn’t want to do that or they didn’t want to trade two or three assets from their team. Billy did, so I’ll remember that.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Minnesota Wild defenseman Brock Faber (7) talks with defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes skates on the ice before an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes, center, is congratulated after scoring during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes warms up before an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo developed a reputation for making rapid returns from injury during his rise to superstardom, but the Milwaukee Bucks forward acknowledges those days may be drawing to a close.

Antetokounmpo had 19 points and 11 rebounds Monday night in Milwaukee’s 108-81 loss to the Boston Celtics, his first action since straining his right calf on Jan. 23. The two-time MVP has missed a career-high 29 games this season, 23 of those with calf injuries.

That's a new experience for Antetokounmpo, who had grown accustomed to returning earlier than expected from injuries.

“I’ve just got to be smarter moving forward, because things that I was able to do in the past maybe I’m not able to do now,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve just got to be more methodical with my rehab.”

During Milwaukee's 2021 playoff run, Antetokounmpo missed just two games with a hyperextended left knee and went on to earn NBA Finals MVP honors while leading the Bucks to their first championship in half a century. Antetokounmpo scored 50 points in the series-ending Game 6 victory over the Phoenix Suns.

This season has proved more frustrating.

“I’m not old, but I’m older, for sure,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’m not 24 years old anymore. I’m 31.”

Antetokounmpo missed eight games with a right calf strain in December, came back and then strained his calf again. Calf issues also caused him to miss Milwaukee's 2024 first-round playoff loss to Indiana.

“When you’re dealing with soft-tissue issues, it’s hard,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve dealt with knee pain in the past. It’s totally different. If you're not able to take care of your soft-tissue injuries, they can linger. I think that’s what happened this year. I feel like I've been playing the whole year with a deficit.”

The same could be said for Antetokounmpo's team.

Milwaukee is 15-16 with Antetokounmpo and 11-18 without him as the Bucks are facing increasingly long odds in their bid for a 10th straight playoff berth.

The Bucks are 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, 3 1/2 games behind 10th-place Charlotte. The teams that finish seventh through 10th compete in a tournament for the East’s two final playoff spots.

Milwaukee went 8-2 without Antetokounmpo from Feb. 3-25 but has lost its last three games by a combined 79 points. Bucks coach Doc Rivers altered his rotation Monday by giving Ousmane Dieng his second start of the season and not playing Kyle Kuzma.

Forward Bobby Portis referred to Milwaukee's 8-2 stretch as “fool's gold,” pointing out that many of those wins came against teams with losing records.

“Obviously a lot of ground we have to cover to get into a play-in situation, a playoff situation,” Portis said. “New waters for us, new uncharted waters for us. Really not used to being in this situation, but I just think … staying together is big. So many ways different guys can go. You can start thinking about yourself. You can start thinking about summer, whatever it is.”

The Bucks will try to make their push amid speculation about Antetokounmpo's future.

In October, Antetokounmpo becomes eligible to sign a four-year contract extension worth up to $275 million. He otherwise could become a free agent at the end of next season.

Although Antetokounmpo repeatedly has discussed how much he loves playing in Milwaukee, he also has prioritized wanting to play on a team that’s committed to competing for championships. The Bucks have lost in the first round of the playoffs each of the last three seasons.

Now they'll have their hands full getting to the postseason at all. In the meantime, Antetokounmpo will have his minutes restricted while he works toward full health and gets accustomed to playing with Dieng and Cam Thomas.

“I’m just happy that I’m on the court,” Antetokounmpo said. “It doesn’t matter if I play 18 minutes, 20 minutes, 22, whatever, I’m just happy that I’m out there. I’m just in a mindset where I try not to take nothing for granted.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Toronto Raptors, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo watches teammates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo watches teammates during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)