The Minnesota Wild continue negotiating with star defenceman Quinn Hughes on a potential contract extension, and a source reiterated to The Athletic’s Michael Russo that rumours of trade discussions with other teams are false.
Per Russo, an anonymous league source went so far as to call the rumours surrounding a potential trade “bulls—,” “made up” and “invented BS by bloggers.”
A possible extension for Hughes with the Wild has been a talking point throughout the summer in Minnesota, as he is set to become a free agent at the end of the upcoming season.
However, the exact numbers in a potential deal for Hughes have been complicated by the changing contract landscape around the NHL over the past year - starting with Hughes’ teammate Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a then-record $17 million AAV contract over eight years in December. This summer, Leo Carlsson signed an $18 million AAV offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers, which the Anaheim Ducks matched, then the San Jose Sharks locked up Macklin Celebrini on a five-year deal with an AAV of $18.8 million.
On top of that, Colorado Avalanche defenceman Cale Makar is also entering the final year of his deal, and a situation could arise where one player simply waits for the other to sign their extensions which are each expected to reset the market for elite defencemen across the league.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin told reporters earlier in the summer that the team would like to sign Hughes to a five-to-eight-year term, but a three-year contract appeared to make the most sense for the blueliner, walking him to free agency at the same as his brother, Jack Hughes.
Hughes was acquired by the Wild in a blockbuster deal with the Vancouver Canucks last December that saw defenceman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a first-round draft pick head back the other way.
Set to turn 27 in October, Hughes recorded seven goals and 76 points in 74 games split between the Canucks and Wild while averaging 27:44 of ice time. He registered four goals and 15 points in 11 playoff games while averaging 30:57 of ice time before the Wild were eliminated in the second round.
The Orlando native was a key contributor to the United States at Milano Cortina 2026, helping his country win Olympic gold for the first time since 1980 while being named the tournament’s best defenceman.
Jack Hughes, 25, scored the overtime winner in the gold-medal game win over Canada. He remains under contract with the New Jersey Devils at a cap hit of $8 million under the summer of 2030.
Luke Hughes, the youngest brother of the family, currently holds the highest the cap hit of the three at $9 million, signed with the Devils through 2031-32.
Hughes won the Norris Trophy in 2024, recording 17 goals and 92 points in 82 games with a plus-38 rating while averaging 24:41 of ice time as a member of the Canucks.
The 5-foot-10, left-shot blueliner is entering the final season of his six-year, $47.1 million deal that carries a cap hit of $7.85 million.
Drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018, Hughes has 66 goals and 485 points in 507 career games split between the Canucks and Wild.
