MN Wild HC Weighs in on Quinn Hughes Contract Talks
The Minnesota Wild have one top priority this offseason… even if its been on the backburner for the last month. While president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has been chasing Dylan Larkin, superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes has been waiting for extension talks to get serious.
We don’t know what the Wild are offering, at this point. All that’s been reported so far is that Hughes is likely looking for $16-18 million per year (essentially as much as Kirill Kaprizov got last summer) and a three-year term.
The 26-year-old Michigan alum first became eligible to sign a new deal on July 1. That was 2.5 weeks ago. And according to what insiders like Joe Smith (The Athletic) have reported in recent days, it doesn’t even sound like the two sides are close.
They’re working on [an extension], but a deal isn’t imminent, per league sources who were granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly.
Joe Smith – The Athletic
When Smith posted that article at The Athletic earlier this week, he made it very clear that all signs still pointed to a Quinn Hughes extension in Minnesota.
Optimism rising that Quinn Hughes deal is coming… eventually
Let’s not forget that Hughes and Guerin are Olympic buddies, and Quinn has talked publicly about how much he appreciates Billy’s willingness to ship off the organization’s entire farm system, in order to get him.
Because of that, along with many other factors, it would still be a surprise if Quinn Hughes and the MN Wild do not reach an agreement on some sort of contract extension sometime over the next couple of months.
However, if you are looking for more reassurance on Hughes’ future, head coach John Hynes brought it for you in an interview with Sarah McLellan (Star Tribune) that dropped Friday.
Although the Wild still haven’t signed their superstar defenseman to a contract extension, Hynes is “very optimistic” a deal with Quinn Hughes gets done to keep him in Minnesota beyond next season.
Sarah McLellan – Star Tribune
Related: GM Refusing to Trade Dylan Larkin to Minnesota Fired
In his first season as a member of the Minnesota Wild, Quinn Hughes played a total of 48 games, following a blockbuster midseason trade between the Wild and Vancouver Canucks, that sent shockwaves through the NHL.
Hynes explains why Quinn Hughes will stay in Minnesota
It wasn’t the best season of Quinn’s stellar professional career, so far, but the eldest Hughes brother still produced 53 points after the trade to Minnesota. In case you didn’t notice, that’s more than one point per game. 48 of those points were assists.
Why is Hynes so confident Hughes will be back? Because he likes it here. The MN Wild may not have any of his brothers on roster (yet), but they have everything else he supposedly wants in his forever team.
“I think he really enjoys Minnesota. He enjoys the team. He’s got a good relationship with Billy, myself, the coaches, and I think he feels like he’s got good teammates. He had very good success. Obviously, he’s a very good player. But since he’s been with us, he’s been very successful from an individual standpoint, which has certainly helped our team...So, I feel there’s a lot of good things where this is a really attractive place I think for Quinn to want to be.”
Sarah McLellan – Star Tribune
Related: MN Wild Not Happy With Kirill Kaprizov’s Play
Between Dylan Larkin and Quinn Hughes, this offseason has been all about patience. At least this time, it comes with some optimism too. Hang in there, Minnesota Wild fans. It sure sounds like Bill Guerin still has a plan (hopefully).
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