The Minnesota Wild were able to pick up a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night. But while Minnesota has started the season with a record of 5-2-1, many are fixated on what is happening off the ice with Quinn Hughes’s contract negotiations.
Currently playing out the final year of his contract, Hughes remains unsigned as the Wild have tried to work out an extension. While the current situation has led to a slew of conspiracy theories as to why he hasn’t signed, The Athletic’s Michael Russo may have simplified it to the negotiations coming down to whether they can acquire Dylan Larkin in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings.
“I still genuinely believe there’s just a lot of motivation and pressure right now on [Wild general manager] Bill Guerin to try to get this Larkin thing over the finish line,” Russo said. “I mean, it’s total conjecture, but I really think that if they get Larkin, Quinn signs, like the next day.
“...Remember, he’s got a lot of inside knowledge here. He’s buddies with the guy. They skate together in the offseason. They have the same agent. I think he’s been well aware that since [the summer], that Larkin would welcome a trade to Minnesota. And I think the one thing that I, if Quinn being astute on everything on everything when it comes to the sport, I think he looks at this roster and probably sees them being at least a center away and Dylan is the type of guy that could get him over the line.”
Dylan Larkin could be the key to the Wild’s Quinn Hughes extension
The most popular theory why Hughes hasn’t signed is because he wants to play with his brothers, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes, with the New Jersey Devils. But while it may be difficult to get either of those players to come to Minnesota, Larkin could be the next best thing.
Larkin has had a “big brother” relationship with Hughes thanks to their ties as alums for the University of Michigan and both players were key figures on the United States Olympic team that was constructed by Bill Guerin. Hughes also told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas that he would take Larkin “in two seconds” if the Wild could execute a trade and it may be why the Wild have been waiting out the Red Wings all summer.
Of course, getting Larkin in a Wild sweater has proven difficult. With five years remaining on his contract with a bargain price of $8.7 million per season, the Red Wings want to make a lateral move instead of acquiring future assets.
The Wild’s rumored offer involving Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel and draft picks (and potentially more) has not enticed the Red Wings to make a move and Detroit has dealt with its own list of problems including the reassignment of president of hockey operations Steve Yzerman to an advisor role, hiring interim general manager Shawn Horcoff and trying to figure out other contract situations with Alex DeBrincat and restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson.
However, some traction on a deal appears to be coming as Horcoff and assistant GM Kris Draper attended Wild games to presumably scout trade pieces last week. With Larkin also being removed of his captaincy in Detroit, it feels like a deal will happen and with no-trade protection, the Wild continue to be the frontrunner for that to happen.
The Wild’s Quinn Hughes gamble makes a Dylan Larkin trade easier to justify
This has created an awkward situation for the Wild. Ryan Hartman, who could be involved in a trade if he did not add Detroit to his 10-team no-trade list this summer, has just one point in eight games. Danila Yurov has also gotten off to a fast start with three goals and four points including a goal in Thursday’s win over the Blues, but he might be a worthy price to pay if it keeps Hughes in town.
The Wild gave up three players (Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren) and a first-round draft pick to bring Hughes to Minnesota last December. While that was a massive package to send to Vancouver, Hughes immediately made the Wild relevant, helping them advance out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2015 and giving them instant star power that made Minnesota a destination for Larkin.
That move is further validated with what has happened with Rossi, Buium and Ohgren in Vancouver. While Rossi has three goals and four points in his first nine games, he is in the same spot that Yurov is occupying now where his ceiling may be as a second-line center. Ohgren also has a pair of goals and five points in nine games, but may also be more of a middle-six forward.
The most shocking of the group, however, may be Biuim. While he’s only 20 years old and signed an eight-year, $75 million ($9.38 AAV) extension with the Canucks before the season, his first full season with the Canucks hasn’t gone well with one point and a minus-7 rating in nine games. That performance also had him recently demoted to the third defensive pairing and removed from the Canucks’ power play units, which also reinforces the Wild made the right decision to give up a haul for Hughes.
Now the same situation faces them with Larkin. While it could require a similar price, the Wild could view it as the price of business, bringing in Larkin on a solid deal and signing Hughes to a deal that will likely cost over $20 million per season. It also reinforces that the Wild’s time is now, which could speak volumes to Hughes as he decides whether to stay in Minnesota beyond this season.
With that, everything seems to be on the table and Hughes could be using Larkin as leverage for his next contract.
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