Sep. 9th: Speaking publicly about his extension negotiations for the first time, the NHL’s Dan Rosen quoted Hughes, saying:
“This is going to be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done. I don’t feel backed up against a wall.
I’m very thoughtful. I want to make sure I’m taking my time on everything and make sure I’m making a decision that is going to be good for everyone.
That’s kind of where my head has been at. We haven’t had that many conversations just because of how I wanted my summer to go in terms of being fresh and resetting and enjoying and training and being around friends and family.
As we get going here I’m sure it’ll heat up, but I don’t feel backed up against a wall where I have to sign before camp.“
Although his comments don’t immediately suggest that he’s unwilling to sign an extension with the Wild, it ends any of Minnesota’s chances of getting Hughes signed to an eight-year deal. This will only add further momentum that even if Hughes extends with the Wild, it will only be on a shorter-term deal so that he can become an unrestricted free agent the same year as Jack.
Sep. 8th: Since the offseason began, there has been much discussion about potential contract extensions for Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar and Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
As arguably the league’s top two defensemen, both were eligible to sign extensions with their club.
On August 28th, Makar did just that. He signed a record-breaking eight-year, $163.2MM ($20.4MM AAV) extension with the Avalanche.
Makar’s new deal not only set a bar for Hughes, but it also turned all attention to his corner. Minnesota has been outspoken about its desire to retain Hughes for as long as possible, and will have the financial flexibility to match Makar’s contract, if not exceed it.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Hughes is ready to sign on the dotted line. Speaking on TSN’s First Up With Korolnek & Colaiacovo, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that Hughes remains undecided about his future with the Wild organization.
That isn’t to say Hughes hasn’t enjoyed his time with Minnesota; he has, but Johnston said Hughes wants to play with his brothers at some point, and he only has so many years left. Specifically, Johnston said, “My understanding of the situation through the summer is I think he was having trouble basically making up his mind about what he wants to do for his future.
There’s a desire that we’ve known for years to one day play with his brothers.”
If Hughes is considering whether to stay with the Wild or join his brothers, his options are quite limited. Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes both play for the New Jersey Devils, and Luke is signed through the 2031-32 season.
Quinn’s options are not limited to New Jersey. Given the number of players requesting trades, the brothers could potentially join a different organization entirely.
However, if he’s unwilling to sign an extension with Minnesota because he wants to play with his brothers, it strongly hints that the Devils would be his landing spot.
If he does end up in New Jersey, it would more than likely be via trade. Given how much they gave up to acquire him initially, Minnesota likely wouldn’t drag this out and risk losing him for nothing.
Still, training camp and preseason are right around the corner; it’s time for Hughes to give Minnesota an answer one way or the other.
Photo courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images.