He said when coach John Hynes and associate Jack Capuano load him up with forwards Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov, it’s “probably the most fun hockey I’ve ever played.”

“I’m excited right now,” Hughes said. “My two feet are planted here in Minnesota. Something could happen soon (with a contract). I’m not really too sure. But I’m really enjoying playing here. …

“There’s a lot of things that are set up nicely for me to have success individually, and as a team, I think we’ve got a great team. The first thing is, you want to get in the playoffs, but I would think we have a chance to win this year.”

Hughes saw how friend and Team USA teammate Brady Tkachuk was received Wednesday when he returned to Ottawa with the Florida Panthers.

Tkachuk spent eight seasons with the Ottawa Senators, the last five as captain, before asking for a trade after last season and joining his brother, Matthew, in Florida on June 21. The fans booed Brady and chanted at him throughout the game Wednesday. Although he scored the first goal of the game for the Panthers, the Senators won 5-1.

“Say what you want about Brady,” Hughes said. “I’ve known him since he was 8, 9 years old. I would say that he gave it his all. Whether that was good enough or not, that’s up to other people.

“I think that every time he steps on the ice, he was competitive and tried his best and tried to represent the Senators with class, and I think that he handled the situation well.

“Obviously, I’m sure he wanted to win the game, but it went down the way it went down. That’s the beautiful part about being in a Canadian market — the passion and what it means to the people.”

Canucks forward Brock Boeser hopes Hughes doesn’t receive a similar reception Sunday.

“I don’t know. I mean, it’s tough timing that the Ottawa thing just happened, but I personally think he should get a good welcome back,” Boeser said. “I mean, he gave it his all, and just because he wants to try and play somewhere else, I feel you shouldn’t hold it over his head. He gave it his all every time he was in a Canucks uniform, and that means a lot.

“I think there should be a good tribute for him. Every time he came to the rink, he gave it his all, and he showed that each and every night competing. He’s one competitive guy, and he gave it his all every time he was on the ice in a Canucks uniform. He’s one of my best buddies, so I don’t hold it over him for leaving. Everyone has their own path and their own journey, and you know that’s the path he chose.”

NHL.com independent correspondents Darren Brown and Kevin Woodley contributed to this report