Cale Makar’s new deal didn’t just make headlines in Colorado. It also wiped away the biggest unknown hanging over Quinn Hughes’ next contract.
For weeks, the market was waiting on one of the NHL’s elite defensemen to blink first. Now Makar has, and the number is enormous: an eight-year, $163.2 million extension that lands at about $20.4 million per season and resets the defenseman market. For Hughes, that means the ceiling - and the conversation - just got a lot clearer.
Hughes is in the final year of the six-year, $47.1 million contract he signed with the Vancouver Canucks, and he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t reach a new deal with Minnesota. That alone gives him serious power in these talks. With Makar’s contract now on the books, Hughes’ camp has a fresh benchmark, and the Wild have a much better sense of what it will cost to keep their franchise defenseman in place.
That doesn’t automatically push Hughes past $20 million a year. Makar has the stronger trophy case and the longer track record in Colorado, and his extension is easier to justify on pure resume.
But Hughes isn’t some ordinary top-pair defenseman trying to chase the market upward. He’s a former Norris winner, a franchise player, and a puck-moving force who changes the way a team plays.
Minnesota didn’t swing a major deal for Hughes to let this turn into a one-year audition. The Wild went all in on a 26-year-old superstar because players like him almost never hit the market. That’s why Makar’s extension matters so much: it removes one of the biggest obstacles and gives both sides a real number to work from.
The timing adds another layer. If Hughes signs before September 16, Minnesota can lock him into an eight-year extension before the new collective bargaining agreement cuts the maximum extension length to seven years. If he waits until next summer, he gets the freedom to test unrestricted free agency and choose his destination, even though any new team would be limited to a shorter term.
The money is only going one direction, too. The NHL salary cap is projected to rise to $113.5 million when Hughes’ next contract begins, and a deal in the $19 million to $20 million range would be massive while still fitting the reality of the market and Hughes’ standing among the league’s best defensemen.
Minnesota has already shown it will pay top-end talent. Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million annual extension set the franchise’s standard. That makes it hard for the Wild to sell Hughes on being a cornerstone superstar while negotiating like he’s merely a strong No. 1 defenseman.
Even so, this doesn’t have to become a tense standoff. Wild general manager Bill Guerin has said he’s confident a deal will get done, and reports have indicated Minnesota remains in regular contact with Pat Brisson, Hughes’ agent.
The Wild’s strongest selling point isn’t what they gave up to get Hughes. It’s what they can offer now: a contender, another superstar in Kaprizov, and a chance for Hughes to become the face of a blue line built to win.
Makar’s extension doesn’t guarantee Hughes signs immediately. Hughes could still prefer a shorter deal while Minnesota pushes for the maximum commitment.
But the biggest question in the market has now been answered, and the deadline is real. The price is clearer, the stakes are higher, and if the Wild truly see Hughes as the player to build around, the next major announcement may not be far off.
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Wild Face Rising Pressure As Quinn Hughes Situation Gets More Serious
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Around the league, the pressure is only increasing. The Flyers are reportedly emerging as a possible suitor thanks to their cap flexibility, while the Devils remain in the mix with the obvious family angle still working in their favor. Nothing has been finalized and no official moves have been made, but the longer this drags on, the more the Wild have to contend with the possibility that one of their biggest swings could turn into a far more complicated offseason story. [Read more 🡒]