Minnesota Wild Turning Attention to Quinn Hughes
Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin had a lot on his to-do list when he entered the offseason. Unfortunately, most of the biggest tasks remain unchecked.
Now more than a month in, the Wild have yet to add the high-skilled center they’ve coveted for 25+ years, though they continue to wait patiently for Detroit to get serious about trading Dylan Larkin.
Meanwhile, Minnesota lost three top-9 (maybe top-6) contributors from last season, in Marcus Johansson, Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko.
They plan to fill those holes with younger, less-proven talent like Bobby Brink, along with newly acquired forwards Maxim Shabanov and Blake Coleman. How Guerin’s recent roster shuffling plays on the ice will determine how successful the MN Wild are in 2026-27.
In the meantime, while the Wild and NHL super agent Pat Brisson have been busy addressing more pressing matters, Quinn Hughes and his massive contract extension have been sitting on the offseason backburner.
Minnesota Wild shifting focus to Quinn Hughes contract talks
Of course, that was the expectation early on. The 26-year-old Hughes is under contract for one more season, so it made sense for Minnesota to focus on things that need done for the more-immediate future.
However, now that free agency has settled down and Larkin talks are seemingly at a standstill, according to Sarah McLellan (Star Tribune), the MN Wild are turning their attention to the most important task of the offseason — getting Quinn Hughes under a long-term contract extension.
“President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin has communicated with Hughes directly and with Hughes’ agent, Pat Brisson, on multiple occasions. The expectation is they will turn their focus to Hughes’ situation now that the draft is over and NHL free agency has quieted down…”
Sarah McLellan – Star Tribune
After the trade, Quinn Hughes scored 5 goals and assisted on 48 more, averaging a whopping 27:54 TOI. He also put up a 59.3 Corsi %, a 59.8 Fenwick %, a 7.4 point share and 9.5 expected +/-.
While those numbers are outstanding, it was probably a down season for Hughes, especially in most advanced analytical categories. Of course, that’s normal when joining a new team, and should mean Quinn only gets better from here.
ICYMI, a deep video and analytical dive from @shaynagoldman_, @JoeSmithNHL and me on how Quinn Hughes has changed the #mnwild https://t.co/dNWE3vahMX pic.twitter.com/6XjKf9G4vb
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 9, 2026
Related: Jack Hughes to MN Wild Trade Rumors Back Up?
That is why Bill Guerin essentially mortgaged the Wild’s entire farm system to acquire Hughes via trade with the Vancouver Canucks and why signing him long-term is so crucial.
Quinn Hughes is the only player to ever wear a Minnesota Wild uniform, outside of maybe Matt Boldy, who has any chance of holding a candle to what Kirill Kaprizov has provided this organization, when it comes to superstar capabilities.
How long and for how much will Quinn Hughes sign for?
When it comes to how long Quinn is willing to sign for, or how much money he will demand, Sarah didn’t have much for updates. We know the Wild will go for the full eight years — seven if Hughes waits until the new CBA kicks in on September 16.
However, it’s been rumored that he could hold out for three years, in order to align his new contract with younger brother Jack, in New Jersey. McLellan also estimates that Hughes likely winds up with an AAV in the $15-18 million range.
But she leaves room for a possible discount, like we’ve seen in recent offseasons from some other stars, like Connor McDavid ($12.5M AAV), Jack Eichel ($13.5M AAV), among others.
As for how much this contract could cost, that’ll be the most interesting development. The price for No.1 defensemen is about to soar because two of the best defenders in the league in Hughes and Colorado’s Cale Makar are due for extensions this summer.
Erik Karlsson’s $11.5 million salary-cap hit with Pittsburgh is the largest in the NHL for a defenseman … but that’s surely about to change… Hughes and Makar are in a league of their own, so they could easily land in the $15 million to $18 million range… But contracts for star players have been all over the map.
Sarah McLellan – Star Tribune
Related: MN Wild Avoid Arbitration with RFA Defenseman
Last season, the University of Michigan alum completely changed the way Minnesota plays hockey, commanding the puck and taking rush responsibilities off guys like Kirill Kaprizov, Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy, who flourished with the additional freedom.
Now that the lineup is younger and less experienced, it’s even more crucial that Guerin makes Quinn Hughes part of the long-term plans sooner than later.
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