What is taking so long for Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild to reach a deal?
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period joined Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Tuesday on the Morning Skate with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick. There, they asked him about the situation with the Minnesota Wild and Quinn Hughes and where things stand. Could he actually extend with the Wild, or is another factor at work here?
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
NHL Rumors: Minnesota Wild, Quinn Hughes and How Does it All Fit?
Scott Laughlin: “Dave Pagnotta from the Fourth Period joining us. Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick here, kicking off the 26-27 broadcasting season here on NHL Network Radio on the NHL Morning Skate. Now, when you look, Dave, at the Cale Makar contract where he gets $20.4 million on the AAV for so many years to come. Now, people have pointed towards that as being, hey, this is a sign that it’s the changing of the guard. Players are going to go out and get what they can get while the getting’s good, as the cap is going to go up and up and up, and everybody seemingly is doing well.
So Makar becomes the highest-paid player in National Hockey League history in terms of AAV. And now people wonder: what does this mean for Quinn Hughes? The last we saw of Quinn Hughes, he was seated beside Luke and Jack at the U.S. Open a couple of days ago, watching some tennis action. What are you hearing with regards to Quinn Hughes going forward with Minnesota, or is there any chance that he does hit the market and Minnesota squandered a lot in order to get him maybe for a good time, but not necessarily a long time? What are you hearing?”
Minnesota Wild GM Bill Guerin on the Quinn Hughes Situation
Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah, I mean, he certainly, I think this. A lot of people, myself included, kind of anticipated a shorter-term extension being ironed out by now. Obviously, it hasn’t happened, and you, he’s enjoyed, so far, his time in Minny. And I do think a part of him, talking to people around him, that he’s open to having something in place. Also, just the allure and the potential of him playing with his brothers in Jersey is always there.
Does that have to necessarily happen now? Can that happen later? That’s what he’s kind of been weighing. And he’s- I think everybody has seen it, and you mentioned it at the U.S. Open and everything. He’s had a hell of a summer. Him and his brothers and a lot of the U.S. Team USA guys have been really enjoying the summer together.
I think for him, I think there’s been an understanding that they’re going to get to those conversations when it’s time, and the time effectively is now. Billy Guerin did his little local media tour last week, admitting as the GM of the Wild that, yeah, they still feel confident they’ll be able to get something done, and they’ll go from there.
What’s the Holdup of Quinn Hughes Signing an Extension with the Minnesota Wild?
Look, we’ll have a much better idea, or we should anyway, this week, if not tomorrow (Wednesday), then by Thursday, as you know. He’s part of the media tour in Vegas this week with the rest of the stars that are out there. So no question, he’s going to be asked about his future and where it is in Minny and we’ll get it directly from the horse’s mouth, exactly where he’s at. At least I hope, anyway, and not sugarcoat things.
But I still think there’s a pathway to what my guess would be: something around a three-year extension, and then they’ll figure things out from there. I know the owners come out and said they’d love to get them locked into a five-year deal, but we’ll see where it’s at.
And if you want to go full term, and this is for anybody that’s due for a contract, they really have a week to go until they can sign an eight-year extension before that drops to seven years with the new CBA kicking in.
I don’t think Quinn’s going to get to that point with the Wild, but just in general, just something to look at.”
NHLRumors.com Note: Now, following this hit, he joined Jeff Marek on The Sheet and stated he doesn’t think the two parties have even negotiated. That goes against reporting from Minnesota by the GM himself. Again, nobody knows what Quinn Hughes wants to do except Quinn Hughes.
Several Factors Playing a Role in Quinn Hughes Negotiations in Minnesota
However, the situation is getting dicey, and as noted, if he isn’t signed at the start of the season, there could be real concern that he is leaving.
Like, will the Wild want to do a short-term deal with a max term, knowing he could leave when his brother is potentially a free agent too? How does that make sense for the Minnesota Wild?
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