With training camp approaching, the clock is ticking for the Minnesota Wild to finalize a contract extension with Quinn Hughes. Entering the final year of his contract, many expect Hughes to either sign a deal to stay with Minnesota or get traded somewhere else. But the Wild seem to be forced to sign Hughes after he helped transform them into a Stanley Cup contender after arriving in a blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks last December.
When approached with this topic by KFXN’s Dan Barrerio at the Minnesota State Fair on Monday, Guerin replied “I can do whatever I want,” setting off a fire storm among Wild fans and fans of the New Jersey Devils who are dreaming of Hughes teaming up with his brothers, Jack and Luke.
But while trading Hughes would be the best way to recoup value if he doesn’t sign in Minnesota, there’s also another option, which is allowing Hughes to play out the final year of his contract and going all-in on the 2026-27 season.
The Wild may have no choice but to ride out Quinn Hughes’s contract
Ideally, the Wild would sign Hughes to an extension before the start of the season. One of the top defenseman in the game, Hughes makes an impact both offensively and defensively, which is a big reason why he could flirt with the $20.4 million annual average value that Cale Makar received in his eight-year extension with the Colorado Avalanche last week.
While Wild owner Craig Leipold hasn’t been shy in offering blank checks in the past, Guerin admitted it may not be enough to keep Hughes in Minnesota, saying the key to any deal is what Hughes wants in a separate interview with SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad.
“We can plan, we can look down the road, we can plan on what we want but then he’s got to come back, too and tell us what he wants,” Guerin said. “We can’t make him sign anything. We’d love to have him as long as we can get him, if he’s got something different in his mind he wants to do, there goes our plan.”
Many believe uniting with his brothers in New Jersey is part of Hughes’s plan. But the Devils don’t have the assets to not only give the Wild fair value for Hughes but keep their competitive window open. Finding another team willing to give up as much may also be a challenge as they know Hughes may only be a one-year rental, which could leave Minnesota’s best option to keep Hughes and focus on winning this upcoming season.
Quinn Hughes could become the Wild’s version of Kawhi Leonard
As of right now, the Wild’s current roster is one that is depending on Hughes to win games. Minnesota already has a strong core with Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber. But they could also still add to it as the negotiations to trade for Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin continue. If Hughes is in a mercenary year, the Wild can make an aggressive trade for Larkin to compliment this year's team and hope that some of their bargains such as Bobby Brink and Maxim Shabanov take a step forward.
In this scenario, the Wild would still have one of the top teams in the Central Division and still have Hughes on the blue line. This would also help Minnesota in the short term as Hughes was on a 92-point pace over an 84-game season after recording 53 points in 48 games after coming to the Wild last year and could exceed that mark if a true top-line center joins the team.
With a formidable contender, the Wild could take this team into the playoffs and if Hughes leads them to the Stanley Cup, nobody would care if he left for nothing.
Think about how Toronto Raptors fans think of Kawhi Leonard. Leonard only played for the Raptors in a one-year mercenary scenario, but it ended with an NBA championship, making him one of the most iconic players in franchise history (and one that is being welcomed back with open arms assuming a pending trade goes through). If Hughes brings a Cup to the “State of Hockey,” there’s a good chance fans will feel the same way, albeit disappointed he didn’t stay longer.
Even if he didn’t, the Wild’s championship window would still be open with Boldy, Kaprizov and Faber under contract into the 2030s. If the Wild can get Larkin, they’d have another cornerstone to replace Hughes and can formulate another plan – although one that could have limited resources.
In a perfect world, Hughes signs on the dotted line and the Wild get him for at least the next four seasons. But if he doesn’t, riding it out and using him as a mercenary may be a better option than sending him away for a lesser return.
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