All eyes are focused on the Minnesota Wild’s contract negotiations with Quinn Hughes, but another important negotiation that is happening behind the scenes involves head coach John Hynes.
Hynes is entering the final year of his contract and it feels like a big year as the Wild have championship-level expectations. But it doesn’t appear like it will affect Hynes’s pursuit of an extension as The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported a deal could be done as soon as Minnesota reports to training camp on Sept. 16.
If Hynes signs an extension, it could alleviate some of the pressure heading into next year. But it may also keep his seat warm if he can’t get the Wild where they want to go.
Signing John Hynes to an extension wouldn’t guarantee his job security
Teams often pursue a contract extension with head coaches going into their final year to avoid a lame duck scenario and for Hynes it makes a lot of sense. While Quinn Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber also are key recruiting tools to bring players in, Hynes is part of it thanks to his defensive structure, communication skills and leadership and signing him now prevents a potential bidding war if he leads Minnesota to a deep playoff run next spring.
But while signing Hynes to an extension now offers some stability, there have been other cases where teams have changed their mind after agreeing to an extension.
The most recent example is former Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. After leading Edmonton to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals, Knoblauch signed a three-year extension worth an estimated $2.5 million per season last October. But the Oilers were a disappointment, getting bounced in the first round by the Anaheim Ducks in last year’s playoffs, and the team decided to look for a “new voice,” parting ways before the extension kicked in.
Another head coach that was fired after signing an extension was Sheldon Keefe of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The head coach in Toronto since November 2019, Keefe signed a two-year extension in August 2023. But the Leafs finished third in the Atlantic Division and were eliminated by the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, leading to his dismissal before the extension began the following season.
The hair trigger of NHL teams goes back even further as Lindy Ruff (New Jersey Devils) and Todd McLellan (Los Angeles Kings) were also fired during the 2023-24 season months after signing extensions and it shows that Hynes could still have a lot on the line next season even if he signs a new contract.
John Hynes still has to prove he can take the Wild to the next level
Entering this year, Hynes looks like a coach that can drive a team to the airport, but leaves them to find their own flight. The 51-year-old has a career regular season record of 409-334-86 and a .545 winning percentage. But all of that has gone out the window in Hynes’s six playoff appearances with an overall record of 11-25.
Like the Wild, Hynes also had issues getting out of the first round of the playoffs before last season, taking his opponent to six games just twice. Hynes was able to end that streak by defeating the Dallas Stars in the first round last year, but his team imploded the following series against the Colorado Avalanche.
If there’s any concern with extending Hynes, it comes from that Avalanche series. Whether it was sitting Jesper Wallstedt to play Filip Gustavsson with a bad hip in Game 2, forcing Jake Middleton onto the ice or being at the controls of a three-goal choke job in Game 5, it’s fair to question whether he can take the Wild to the next level and if Minnesota should use next season to find out.
With this in mind, it’s the best of both worlds. The Wild can roll into this season trusting Hynes, but if things go wrong, they still have the ability to fire him and find a replacement. With that, there’s still a lot on the line for Hynes this year even if the two sides agree on an extension.
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