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NHL Rumor Roundup: What Will It Take For The Wild To Re-Sign Quinn Hughes?
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The Minnesota Wild hope to re-sign Quinn Hughes, but the cost of retaining the superstar defenseman could be high and could complicate their long-term efforts to build and maintain a Stanley Cup contender
Earlier this week, Michael Russo
of The Athletic reported that Minnesota Wild GM Bill
Guerin was expected to meet with Quinn Hughes and his camp to discuss
a contract extension
According to Russo, the Wild want
to sign Hughes to a long-term deal between five and eight years,
preferably before the maximum length for NHL contracts drops to seven
years on Sept. 16. However, he believes a three-year extension would
make the most sense for the superstar defenseman to align with the
remaining term on brother Jack’s contract with the New Jersey
Devils
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Hughes’ future has been the
frequent subject of media speculation since the spring of 2025. Not
even the trade that sent him from the Vancouver Canucks to the Wild
quelled the conjecture that suggested he might join brothers Jack
and Luke in New Jersey one day
A three-year extension that
expires at the same time as Jack’s contract would make both
brothers UFAs in 2030, enabling them to sign with
any club. However, if they don’t sign with the Devils, it would
leave younger brother Luke still in New Jersey unless a trade could
be arranged
If Quinn Hughes is willing to sign an
extension, the cost of doing so will also be a significant concern
for Guerin and the Wild
Hughes is currently in the final
season of his six-year contract with an average annual value of
$7.85 million. As an elite defenseman who won the Norris Trophy in
2023-24, he will be seeking a substantial raise. He could even make
the case to become the NHL’s first $20 million man
thehockeynews.comCould Connor McDavid Be The First $20 Million NHL Player Instead Of Makar Or Hughes?San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini’s $18.8-million cap hit makes it likely we’ll see a $20-million cap hit soon. Adam Proteau thinks Connor McDavid will be the first to get it instead of two 2027 UFAs.
The Wild have nearly $46 million in
projected salary cap space for 2027-28, more than enough to re-sign
Hughes if he seeks up to the league maximum of $20.8 million
annually. However, the question is whether they’d be comfortable
paying Hughes more than Kirill Kaprizov’s team-leading $17 million
Assuming Hughes accepts the
equivalent of Kaprizov’s average annual value, it would still take a big chunk out
of their cap payroll. They must also re-sign or replace notable
players, such as forwards Ryan Hartman and Blake Coleman and
defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who are UFA-eligible next summer.
Meanwhile, goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and right winger Bobby Brink will be
RFAs with arbitration rights
It may not seem that concerning
on paper, but the more it costs to re-sign Hughes, the less there is
to maintain a reliable supporting cast for their core players, making
it difficult for the Wild to become a Stanley Cup contender
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