The Minnesota Wild are approaching the start of the regular season and there is a lot of anticipation. While the Wild will open the year with Stanley Cup dreams as they open the year with a road game against the Nashville Predators, they may also do so with some nerves if Quinn Hughes hasn’t signed a contract extension.
Hughes and the Wild continue to discuss a deal as the star defenseman heads into the final year of his contract. But even as New Jersey Devils fans circle like vultures, Wild fans are simply waiting for the contract to be announced. Even if there are some nerves, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said he doesn’t “have any panic” when it comes to Hughes signing with the Wild, but also added that the season opener could be an artificial deadline to get a deal done.
“I will worry about this if it’s not done by the start of the season,” Friedman said during an appearance on NHL Network. “...That’s just my personal feeling. If it’s not done by the start of the season, I’ll start to say “Hey, what’s going on here?’
“…I really think in a lot of cases, these things get done when there’s a sense of urgency. I’m surprised, but I’ve been around long enough to know. …I just think that if we go into the season and it’s not done, that’s when I’m really going to start to say, ‘OK, like, what’s happening?’”
Kirill Kaprizov’s contract has Wild fans well-trained in Quinn Hughes drama
While Devils fans may jump at that comment and suggest it’s another sign that Hughes’s destiny is to go play with his brothers in New Jersey. Important to note that Friedman remains confident a deal will get done and has previously predicted a three-year contract with an average annual value of $18 million. It’s also comforting to Wild fans to know that they went through this one year ago with Kirill Kaprizov.
Many Wild fans believed Kaprizov would sign a massive contract when he was eligible on July 1, 2025. But the deal didn’t get done and lingered as the team reported to training camp. A report that Kaprizov turned down an eight-year, $128 million contract also appeared at that time, but Guerin continued to work through things until the two sides agreed to an eight-year, $136 million contract.
This time around, money doesn’t appear to be the issue as much as the length. While many have speculated a three-year deal to link up with Jack Hughes’s deal with the Devils, Craig Leipold suggested during an interview with MPR that the Wild are seeking a five-year deal. In the end, that could result in a compromise, but it doesn’t feel like the massive hurdle that would prevent a deal from getting done.
In many ways, Wild fans should expect a deal before the start of the season. Hughes stated that he was "definitely open to re-signing” when last season ended and added “We’ll see what [Wild GM] Billy [Guerin] wants to do.” That comment makes it seem like Hughes is willing to put pen to paper and it’s up to the Wild to meet his demands. But it also would work much better if Minnesota finalized it sooner than later.
Quinn Hughes’s contract delay may not be a reason for Wild fans to panic
So if both sides seem to want a contract, why isn’t it done? According to Friedman, it could be that Hughes is enjoying his summer. Hughes was spotted with his brother Jack at the World Cup Final and also went to his adopted home state of Michigan where he appeared on stage with country artist Morgan Wallen at Michigan Stadium last month.
Even then, Guerin traveled to Michigan to meet with Hughes’s camp last week and came back preaching patience, which was another quote that left Devils fans salivating. But Guerin’s comments also remind everyone there is just under two months to get a deal done.
The Wild likely don’t want to have a distraction hanging over their heads in the same way Kaprizov would have been if he hadn’t signed going into last season. And such a situation would create the type of urgency that Friedman suggested usually leads to a deal.
Wild fans may continue to sweat it out until Hughes actually signs on the dotted line. But it’s also fair to look back and remember that the franchise has taken its time working on bigger deals and could use a similar timeline to keep Hughes in Minnesota.
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