Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin is preaching patience as he attempts to sign Quinn Hughes to an extension. Meanwhile, his search for a first-line center continues.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin reportedly met with Quinn Hughes in Michigan last week, hoping to make progress in signing the 26-year-old superstar defenseman.
Hughes is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but the Wild can sign him to an extension now. On June 24, Wild owner Craig Leipold said his club would sign the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, adding it was a question of how long the deal would be.
That was before the Philadelphia Flyers signed Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson to a five-year offer sheet worth an average annual value of $18 million.
The Ducks matched the offer, but the ripples from Carlsson’s new contract will affect every superstar around the league eligible for new contracts or extensions, including Hughes.
During an appearance Tuesday on SKOR North’s Judd’s Hockey Show, Guerin said he’s been talking to the Hughes camp “all along,” adding that getting the blueliner under contract would take time, just as his efforts to get Kirill Kaprizov signed did last year.
Kaprizov eventually agreed to an eight-year deal ($17 million AAV) last September.
Hughes could be in line to become the NHL’s first $20-million player, or at least earn as much as Kaprizov. Guerin wasn’t concerned about having two high-priced superstars on his roster, expressing confidence that his club can handle the cap crunch.
However, the length of the contract could become the sticking point. During his remarks in June, Leipold said his club would like to sign Hughes for as long as possible, but acknowledged that the all-star defenseman might prefer a three-year deal.
A three-year deal would see Hughes’ next contract end at the same time as his brother Jack's does with the New Jersey Devils. It’s believed Quinn, Jack, and younger brother Luke would like to play together one day.
Speaking of the Hughes brothers, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now believes the longer Quinn goes without a new contract with the Wild, the more it benefits the Devils.
If Quinn goes to market next summer, the Devils have sufficient salary-cap space ($32 million) in 2027-28 to make that dream of a Hughes brothers reunion come true.
Re-signing Hughes isn’t the only issue on Guerin’s to-do list. The Wild GM still hasn’t found a suitable first-line center in the trade market. He’s not worried about starting next season without one, adding that his club will remain patient and wait for the right opportunity to emerge.
The Wild were linked to Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, who had them as part of his list of preferred trade destinations. However, there’s no indication that the two sides are close to a deal, especially with the Red Wings currently searching for a new general manager.
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