Will he? Or won't he? Those are the questions Wild star defenseman Quinn Hughes, and Wild General Manager Bill Guerin are continuing to get asked about whether Hughes will sign a new contract to remain in Minnesota. He's a pending free agent at the end of the 2026-27 season.
Guerin talked about it Wednesday, telling the Chad Hartman Show on WCCO Radio that he isn't necessarily worried about it - at least not yet.
"Honestly, all I'm doing right now is letting this kid play hockey," Guerin explained. "And you know what, he's playing great. He's helping us win games. Like I've always said, whatever will happen will happen, and right now the only person that knows what's going on in Quinn's head is Quinn. And, and that's OK."
Guerin also said that despite not getting a new deal done this last offseason, conversations between the two sides haven't been ongoing. He says Hughes and his agent know the team's offer.
"They know everything, and, to be quite honest with you, I have not talked to them about this in a long time," Guerin surprisingly added. "There's nothing really to talk about right now. What am I gonna do? Like go, 'please, please, please, please?' This is a unique situation."
According to Guerin, Hughes is still considering things, and he doesn't think anything has changed. Hughes recently told reporters he has "two feet" firmly planted in Minnesota despite his contract coming to a close. The Wild traded for Hughes last season, sending Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and the Wild’s first-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft to Vancouver.
Hughes played in Vancouver last week and was roundly greeted by boos from his former team. Patrik Allvin, then Vancouver’s general manager, said Hughes had made it clear he was unlikely to sign a long-term extension with the Canucks following the expiration of the six-year, $47.1 million deal he signed in October 2021.
"I don't think anything's changed," Guerin told Hartman Wednesday. "I'm being honest with you, like right now I'm focused on our team, but also focused on our team and winning games. Quinn's situation will resolve itself at some point in time. This does not keep me awake at night."
Guerin said he think Hughes will still take his time, and doesn't seem particularly rushed. But, from a team perspective, the later this gets into the season, the more pressure it puts on Guerin to decide if he keeps Hughes even though he would be a free agent, able to sign in the offseason with anyone, or try to make a move similar to what Vancouver had to do with Hughes' deal expiring.
"I haven't really decided," Guerin explained. "Hey, look, at some point in time, I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team. I know one thing's for sure, having Quinn on our team is what's best for the team. I don't know. I'll be completely honest with you, I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what I'm going to do. There's no date. What we're doing right now is focusing on our team and trying to win hockey games. That's really it."
It becomes even more complicated for Guerin and the Wild due to their success. Kirill Kaprizov scored his NHL-leading 14th goal of the season as the Minnesota Wild beat the Utah Mammoth 3-1 Tuesday night, their third straight win. The Wild's 20 points have them sitting on top of the Western Conference a month into the season.
The Wild certainly offered up plenty to get Hughes to Minnesota, and the fear from fans is that if he leaves, you take a step back without anything to show for it.
"Trust me, I care more than anybody," Guerin also said.
"Look, at some point in time, I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team"
"Look, at some point in time, I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team"
