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Insider: Hughes, Wild 'meeting soon' to work out extension details
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- Insider: Hughes, Wild 'meeting soon' to work out extension details
Insider: Hughes, Wild 'meeting soon' to work out extension details
Bill Guerin and the Wild have spent another full summer negotiating a big contract extension for one of their stars. Guerin stated earlier this week that he's confident a deal will get done with star defenseman Quinn Hughes, who has just one year left on his current contract. That hasn't softened the concern of fans and online speculators.
Hockey insider Elliotte Friedman said Friday morning on NHL Network that he believes the two sides "are going to be meeting soon" in order to work through details. Friedman also said that after a summer of exploding player salaries, the current talks rest on Hughes' willingness to do a deal.
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"Now you're looking at Quinn Hughes, my prediction, and I said it at the beginning of the summer, was that Hughes would sign for three times 18 (three years, $18m AAV)," said Friedman. "Well that was before (Ducks center Leo) Carlsson's deal, and that was before (Avs defenseman Cale) Makar's deal. So, I think right now it really rests with the player. And I'll say this, could it be 20? Would any of us be surprised if the number was around 20? I don't think any of us would."
Cale Makar's record-setting eight-year extension with Colorado that will pay him $20.4 million AAV changed the tone for those carefully watching the Hughes extension talks. Often considered the two best defensemen in the league, Makar and Hughes' separate contract extensions this summer have been linked, with plenty of speculation about how one signing would impact the other's deal.
While the money raised eyebrows, and likely the price for the Wild to ink Hughes, Friedman thinks there is one thing helping Minnesota's hand in negotiations.
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"I think the thing that helps Minnesota here is I'm not convinced Hughes wants term," continued Friedman. "I could be wrong but I think we all know the situation with Jack having a few more years to go. I think that's the thing here that helps Minnesota.
"Now, Bill Guerin, he's a gambler. I think he could do anything and I say that with respect. But I don't think Hughes wants long term and I think that will help Minnesota deal with this in the next couple of years."
The speculation since even before the Wild swung the blockbuster trade to land Hughes has been that Quinn was eyeing a short-term extension to time hitting free agency at the same time as his brother. Jack's current deal with New Jersey runs out in the summer of 2030.
Wild owner Craig Leipold has been on record already this summer saying he would like to secure Quinn for "as long as we could," but he acknowledged that Hughes is likely looking for a shorter-term deal. At the State Fair on Monday , Guerin refused several times to divulge where things stand in negotiations.
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The only hint that Guerin gave was that "these things take time." Those are similar words to the ones he used last year when asked about Kirill Kaprizov. If Quinn isn't concerned about the length of the deal, then the Sept. 15 deadline to ink an eight-year extension means nothing. The real deadline before panic really hits is Oct. 1, the date of the Wild's season opener in Nashville.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Wild section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
