The Minnesota Wild have two priorities this offseason. One of them is finding a new top line center, which they are currently trying to do. The other is to retain star defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is set to become a free agent at the end of next season. The Wild gave up three young players and their 2026 first-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Hughes, and he played a huge role in them making the playoffs and securing a first-round series win over the Dallas Stars.
Once their season ended, it sounded like the chances of a contract extension were heading in a positive direction, with both sides sounding interested. Then, this past week, team owner Craig Leipold confidently declared the Wild "are going to re-sign" Hughes, while hoping a deal could be for five years.
The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun discussed the Hughes situation in Minnesota, saying that there haven't been much talks about a contract extension. LeBrun also said that taking that into consideration, a deal is unlikely to be announced by July 1, which is the first day all deals can be announced.
Quinn Hughes contract extension talks with Wild have been minimal
"Despite the enormity of this file for the Wild, there actually haven’t been a whole lot of talks so far on this extension. So I doubt we’ll see something Wednesday. But obviously, that negotiation is coming soon," writes LeBrun.
For the Wild fanbase, they would have preferred that a new contract get announced as soon as possible. That way, there would be less reason to worry heading deep into the offseason. But for Hughes, it sounds like it will take a bit until something is announced.
After the NHL Draft, general manager Bill Guerin revealed that he and Hughes met in New Jersey earlier in the offseason for "very, very preliminary talks" regarding a contract. So, nothing truly substantial just yet. However, there is a mutual interest between both parties about getting a deal done.
The expectation across the league is that Hughes will agree to a three-year contract extension. That term is the expectation, as that would allow Quinn and his younger brother Jack of the New Jersey Devils, to hit free agency at the same time. That would, of course, allow both players to potentially join the same team. That is far down the line, but one would imagine that any team would be signing up to land both players if they were to hit the open market at the same time.
Hughes is coming off of a 48-game regular season with the Wild, where he recorded five goals, 48 assists, and a plus-six plus/minus rating. In the playoffs, Hughes posted four goals, 11 assists, and a plus-10 plus/minus rating in 11 games.
A contract extension for Hughes sounds like it will take some time. Until then, Wild fans can monitor what they do in free agency and see if they can land a top line center on the trade market.
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