According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the Minnesota Wild have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with general manager Bill Guerin. Guerin, who was hired by the Wild to replace Paul Fenton in 2019, is well-deserving of the deal, helping the Wild get out of the first round for the first time since the 2014-15 season last spring. But like many moves the Wild have made recently, the biggest question is what it means for Quinn Hughes.
Hughes is entering the final year of his contract and everyone from St. Paul to New Jersey is waiting to see if he signs an extension that will make him one of the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL and keep him in Minnesota for the foreseeable future.
But while Wild fans are still sweating out whether Hughes will sign, the news of Guerin’s extension has to be taken as a good omen as Minnesota could be getting closer to getting a deal across the finish line.
Trading for Quinn Hughes helped Bill Guerin get an extension from the Wild
Once again, it’s important to point out that Guerin has earned his latest extension. The Wild had already taken Kirill Kaprizov in the fifth round of the 2015 draft and selected Matt Boldy in the first round of the 2019 draft. But Guerin helped finally bring Kaprizov to Minnesota for the 2020-21 season and had a spirited conversation with Boldy after the 2023 playoffs that led him to become a rising star.
In addition to those two building blocks, the decision to trade Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings after the 2021-22 season helped the Wild acquire Brock Faber, who could be a future captain of the franchise. Guerin also orchestrated the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts and while the Wild endured significant cap penalties, Guerin ensured they didn’t miss a beat on the ice, making the playoffs in five of the past six seasons.
Guerin also got ahead of Faber and Boldy’s contracts, producing two of the best values in the NHL, and also finalized a massive eight-year, $136 million contract with Kaprizov before last season. But while each of those moves were significant, it paled in comparison to the trade that brought Hughes to Minnesota.
The Wild sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first round pick (Adam Novotny) to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Hughes last December and it helped transform a good team into a Stanley Cup contender. Although the Wild were eliminated in the second round by the Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota has become a destination for players looking to contend including Dylan Larkin, who is still waiting for the Detroit Red Wings to accommodate his trade request.
As a result, Guerin was named the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award winner for the 2025-26 season during June’s draft and now has an extension in hand. But while keeping Guerin in charge should be seen as a positive for the Wild, all eyes remain on Hughes as he contemplates whether to stay in Minnesota.
Bill Guerin’s extension with Wild could be the precursor for Quinn Hughes
To some, seeing Guerin sign a multi-year extension ahead of Hughes may be a concern. But the Wild also have extended head coach John Hynes earlier this month, ensuring that the Wild’s culture will remain intact for however long Hughes wants in his next contract.
In addition, Guerin told The Athletic’s Joe Smith on Sept. 15 that he was “very comfortable” where things were at with Hughes’s contract talks and added that “Everything is fine,” as the two sides progress toward the regular season.
Hughes added to whatever panic was left saying he was in “no rush” to sign a deal ahead of the Wild’s Oct. 1 regular season opener against the Nashville Predators. But he also has been complimentary of Guerin, citing how he “sacked up” to bring him to Minnesota after last year’s trade and also noted that he wasn’t “going to sacrifice a great spot” to play with his brothers, Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, when he reported to training camp.
If negotiations with Hughes were going sideways, it seems like there would be some hesitation to extend Guerin. But with the extension getting out there before the Wild officially announced the move, it seems like a deal could be getting closer to the finish line.
Of course, this could just be wishful thinking as Wild fans refresh their feeds to see if Hughes has re-signed. But Guerin’s news should be a good omen and could be the precursor to another big announcement coming in the next couple of weeks.
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