As we creep closer and closer to training camp, with each passing day the chatter is only going to ramp up around Quinn Hughes as long as he hasn’t put pen to paper on a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.
Hughes is entering the final year of his deal that will pay him $7.85 million for the upcoming season, but it’s likely the last time in his career he’s going to be playing under such a team-friendly number. Salaries have exploded in the NHL this summer, thanks to Leo Carlsson’s offer sheet and from there we quickly saw Macklin Celebrini and Cale Makar take things to an even higher level.
Makar’s deal is the most relevant to the Hughes situation, as the two are often compared to each other as arguably the league’s top defencemen. The Colorado Avalanche star will earn $20.4 million per season when his eight-year extension kicks in and you know Hughes is probably going to be looking for something in that neighbourhood. Hughes is definitely worthy of a deal similar to Makar’s but that’s going to be much easier said than done for the Wild. They already have Kirill Kaprizov making $17 million a season and adding a second monstrous deal on the books could quickly lead to challenges with their roster construction.
Even if Minnesota meets his demands, Hughes has to be willing to sign with the organization long term. Many believe he ultimately wants to play with his brothers, so committing to Minnesota for six, seven or eight years (still possible until Sept. 16) could complicate the goal of playing with Jack and Luke down the road.
Should the two sides not come to terms on a new pact soon, it’s going to leave the Wild in a predicament heading into the season. Things rarely end well when you let a superstar enter the final year of his deal without an extension, but Minnesota does have some options to get creative where Hughes is concerned.
Focus on a short-term deal
There could be a common ground here that potentially punts a much bigger decision regarding Hughes down the road. Jack Hughes has four years remaining on his contract with the New Jersey Devils, meaning a Quinn Hughes extension of three years could be the sweet spot.
That would set up Quinn and Jack to be free agents at the same time and essentially pick their next destination together as a package deal, while keeping Hughes with the Wild for another four seasons. Doing so should also keep Minnesota in the Stanley Cup conversation over that stretch as well, as a core of Hughes, the aforementioned Kaprizov, Brock Faber, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jesper Wallstedt are all still under 30 and in their primes.
This would also buy the Wild more time to sell Hughes on the organization with the hopes of getting a long-term deal done in a few years so he could finish his career with the organization. Who knows, maybe at that point Bill Guerin could convince Jack to head North and join the Wild, while starting to make room for Luke to come aboard a few years later when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Trade Hughes sooner rather than later
This probably wouldn’t be the preferred choice for the Wild, though it could end up being their best option if Hughes won’t sign any kind of extension at all. It would eliminate the risk of losing Hughes for nothing next summer, something that would be devastating to Minnesota considering all the assets it gave up to acquire him.
The Wild still have an issue at centre, with little depth down the lineup and it’s one of the problems that saw them bow out to the Avalanche in the spring. They could target a top-six centre in a Hughes deal if it came to that along with a handful of other assets that could help keep them competitive right now, while also adding a piece or two to their prospect cupboards.
It’s important to keep in mind that Hughes has no trade protection and could theoretically be traded anywhere Minnesota wants. Now obviously the return would be a lot better if the acquiring team gets Hughes to agree to an extension, but there should still be a number of clubs willing to step up with a decent offer even if, at the moment, it’s only for a one-year rental.
Wait and see
Heading into the season with Hughes unsigned would certainly be a distraction, but there is a recent example of this strategy working out swimmingly for a team. The Avalanche did this with Mikko Rantanen heading into the 2024-25 campaign before opting to deal him away to the Carolina Hurricanes and received Martin Necas as the centerpiece of the return. Colorado really hasn’t missed a beat since.
The Canes took on Rantanen without the guarantee of an extension, much like teams would be in a potential Hughes deal. Carolina couldn’t get Rantanen signed either and then flipped him to Dallas for another big return that included Logan Stankoven, and won the Stanley Cup a year later. Teams during the season may choose to look at Hughes through this lens and be more willing to take a risk.
Once the season begins there will inevitably be a team willing to push all its chips into the middle if they think they can win a championship and Hughes would help put any team over the top. As we get closer to the deadline, teams will accrue cap space and can potentially use LTIR to make it easier to bring in Hughes if they have interest.
There’s also no rule that says Hughes and the Wild can’t agree to an extension in November or December for example. Not making a rash decision now gives Minnesota more time to negotiate with Hughes’ camp. It would be a little unusual for Bill Guerin and company to start the season without this resolved but coming out of it in a good position isn’t unprecedented.
Play out the season with Hughes unsigned
This would really increase the risk that Hughes walks away for nothing, but the Wild have all the tools right now to contend for a Cup. That could still happen after a Hughes trade, though it would definitely be more challenging. Hughes is likely going to be the best player in any deal he’s involved in, so giving him up could mean a step back if the trade doesn’t work out.
The Toronto Maple Leafs went down this road with Mitch Marner a couple of years ago and it ended poorly. Marner had no interest in re-signing and the Leafs were forced to complete a sign and trade just to at least get Nic Roy back in return, which was far less than Marner was worth.
In order for that not to happen with Hughes, the Wild would need to have such an incredible season that makes him want to stay, and even then, there are no guarantees. But maybe if Minnesota gets to a Conference Final or beyond it will all be worth it for the franchise even if Hughes doesn’t stay.
With all this being said, there is still time for the Wild and Hughes to reach a deal before the season gets underway. If that doesn’t happen, at least for Minnesota’s sake, Hughes doesn’t hold all the cards.
