It appears that Bill Guerin's optimism regarding a new contract for Quinn Hughes is waning.
The Minnesota Wild general manager appeared on WCCO's The Chad Hartman Show on Wednesday and discussed re-signing his superstar defenceman.
"To be quite honest, I had not talked to them about this in a long time," Guerin said of contract talks with Hughes and his agent, Pat Brisson."There’s nothing to talk about right now. What am I going to do (say)'Please, please, please'?"
It seemed to be a departure from Guerin's previous tone on the matter when he said that there was"no tension" and"communication is good."
Hughes is in the final year of his current deal with a $7.85 million salary cap hit. The 27-year-old blue-liner became eligible to sign a new contract with the Wild on July 1, but negotiations seem to have stalled since.
The Wild have started the season red-hot with a 9-3-2 record. Still, the prospect of letting a player of Hughes' calibre walk for nothing at the end of the season is difficult to grapple with.
“I haven't really decided, at some point in time I'll have to try to figure things out and see what’s best for the team," Guerin said."I know one thing’s for sure: having Quinn on our team is what’s best for the team.
"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.
I think some people want to make this more complicated than it really is — being the media. And it’s not that complicated.
The former Norris Trophy winner has 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 14 games this season and has scored over 70 points for four straight seasons.
He also appears amenable to signing in Minnesota.
"I'm excited right now. My two feet are planted in Minnesota and, you know, something could happen soon.
I'm not really too sure," Hughes told reporters Saturday, regarding contract talks. "I'm really enjoying playing here.
However, the possibility of joining his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, with the New Jersey Devils could also potentially factor into Hughes' decision.