With the NHL season underway, all eyes are on the Minnesota Wild and what will happen with Quinn Hughes. As the player stated on the 32 Thoughts Podcast with Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas during the NHL North American Player Media Tour, he doesn’t care if someone asks him the same question 100 times, like whatever.
“I don’t really care. Like, I don’t care. If someone asks me the same question 100 times, like, whatever.” Hughes said. “And as far as the noise, if someone wants to ask me a question, I’m not basing decisions because I don’t want to answer questions. But I’m gonna take my time, and Billy’s gonna take his time, and I’m sure it’ll work out.”
NHL Rumors: Still No Concern in Minnesota Over Quinn Hughes Negotiations
Ahead of the Minnesota Wild opener on Thursday, the defenseman was once again asked about his future, since he still doesn’t have a contract extension in place as training camp ends and the season begins. Could this linger into the season?
“I mean, today is Tuesday. Season starts on Thursday. So we’ll see.” Hughes said to reporters on Tuesday. As Joe Smith of The Athletic added, Hughes has not told anyone he is uncomfortable having talks during the season. He is ready to go no matter what.
Quinn Hughes has not said anything bad about the organization, his teammates, and his general manager. He is excited to get things going despite Brock Faber‘s serious injury. However, this is a big decision for him. He has been eligible for an extension since July 1st as he enters the final year of his deal, which pays $7.85 million a season. The second-best defenseman in the NHL will be getting a raise.
However, Quinn Hughes will decide for himself. He has mentioned multiple times that he’s fine playing entering the season without a contract, as he is focused on helping the team win.
The Minnesota Wild, Quinn Hughes, and Their Search for a Center
Both Quinn Hughes and General Manager Bill Guerin have reiterated that it is a process. The Wild want to keep him. Remember, they gave up Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick for Quinn Hughes. But with Kirill Kaprizov last season, this will take time.
“This is like I’ve always said. This is a process,” Wild GM Bill Guerin said to EJ Hradek on NHL Network. “This is part of the job, and players have decisions to make, and so do general managers, and we’re just kind of working through the process right now, and we’ll see how it ends up. But right now Quinn’s just getting ready for the season. He’s been dynamite, so we’ll just continue to talk.”
Lots of questions surrounding Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild
Communication has been open throughout the process, but many factors go into a decision of this magnitude. Again, there is the brothers factor in New Jersey. They haven’t played into it as much as they did last season. Does the player want short-term or long-term? Minnesota wants long-term, that for sure.
Also, does Quinn Hughes want to be paid like Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche at $20.4 million a season, or does he want more as the cap rises? Lots of factors to consider, but the question about Quinn Hughes’s future in Minnesota isn’t going away.
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