During his end of season comments two months ago, Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes offered that he is “definitely open to re-signing” with the Wild, with a preference to work something out over the summer if so. That time is now here.
An opportunity for players to hold final press conferences before departing for the off-season, such discussion doesn’t always hold the most weight; Exhibit A being Brady Tkachuk shutting down trade rumors only to be off to Florida some 53 days later. Back to the present with Hughes, however, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported yesterday on Hello Hockey that the Wild and he are “getting there” on an extension with an AAV of at least $17MM, if not higher.
A side comment by Pagnotta on Hughes while primarily discussing rising NHL salaries as a whole, there’s surely still uncertainty and work to be done, however it’s at least encouraging to hear for Minnesota fans. Thought to be a huge gamble, buying about a year and a half of the superstar before facing the real chance of losing him for nothing, perhaps general manager Bill Guerin’s “all in” mentality has done enough to win over Hughes.
Not that there was doubt but Hughes was a perfect fit with the Wild, elevating their play on the back end tremendously. Having been among the lower scoring clubs from defensemen, bringing aboard the lefty who averaged over 27 minutes a night, putting up 53 points in 48 games, did wonders in that department. He led the entire NHL in ice time per game, a minute over the second-ranked Zach Werenski. Hughes finished fifth among defenders for points (76 combined between Vancouver and Minnesota), 33rd highest in NHL skaters, interestingly one spot behind his brother Jack.
Speaking of his sibling, the hope, if not optimistic expectation of certain parties in the Northeast was that Quinn would roll along to free agency and head to New Jersey, teaming up with Jack and their brother Luke for a trio able to make an impact never seen in the league. It’s easier said than done though, as the Devils offer $6 million more in cap space than the Wild as of today, however, to meet Hughes’ free agent value hypothetically, they’d have to move out a contract such as Dougie Hamilton’s $9MM. Another team where the electric skating defensemen wouldn’t be the final piece, New Jersey will spend under 4% of their cap space on goaltending next season. As fun as it would be to imagine, the ball is firmly in Minnesota’s court for plenty of time to work something out.
Assuming the Newark family reunion is not meant to be, and that at some point before long Hughes re-ups on another record-setting contract in Minnesota, what’s fascinating to consider is the rest of their roster. With the salary cap set for 2026-27 at $104 million, it’s realistic to predict another increase the following season, as much as $8.5 million, but on current figures paying $17 million to Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov would equal nearly 33% of their total salary allocation. Not even the Oilers, boasting Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, fork over that much for their two stars with the duo set through 2027-28 at a combined $26.50MM cap hit. Their abilities hardly require further analysis, but to do so anyway, McDavid and Draisaitl combined for 235 points in 147 games last year, on the Oilers’ 282 total goals-forced. To justify a level of payment on Kaprizov and Hughes which would exceed that, NHL-best production would be a requirement.
This time next year, if Guerin secures what would be at least a $10 million raise for Hughes, he’d be left with limited space on other players. Captain Jared Spurgeon, the club’s longest tenured player and annual Lady Byng vote-getter, will expire after 2026-27 on a current $7.58MM cap hit, along with Ryan Hartman and Blake Coleman. There’s no telling what the roster may look like by next July, but it’s safe to assume at least 4-5 bottom six forward holes will need to be filled, and that’s not even counting their bigger needs. A team thought to require an upgrade down the middle to break through in the Western Conference, it’s hard to see where Guerin could fit in someone like Dylan Larkin and his $8.7MM ticket. In net the Wild made a long-term commitment to Filip Gustavsson, with standout 23-year-old Jesper Wallstedt a luxury for the time being at $2.2MM. It’s practically a foregone conclusion that one of their two excellent netminders, a major strength of the team, will have to be moved out to help out the center ice position, as well as open the space for a Hughes extension. With all of those items coming in the future, Minnesota has already dealt with cap casualties, having lost key veteran Mats Zuccarello, likely to end up the same with Vladimir Tarasenko, Guerin will have to get seriously creative to build a supporting cast on team-friendly contracts similar to 38-year-old Nick Foligno’s $900k for the upcoming season.
By no means an attempt to criticize Guerin, the 2025-26 NHL general manager of the year who has raised the bar in Minnesota and brought the most exciting times for the franchise, their #1 order of business in locking up Hughes will present a new series of challenges to follow. His attempts to be as aggressive as possible are commendable, but at some point the concern is raised on what to make of the rest of the Minnesota roster. Especially as recent history suggests that top-heavy constructed teams lack the ability to comfortably roll lines in the playoffs and take home the Stanley Cup. Regardless, Guerin and his Wild would much rather take a shot at proving that wrong, rather than the possibility of the all-world defenseman walking away after a short stop in Saint Paul.
Image Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images