Quinn Hughes keeps producing, and Bill Guerin keeps sounding like a man with no interest in panicking.
The Minnesota Wild’s 2-1 overtime win in Montreal on Tuesday pushed their point streak to nine games, and Hughes was right in the middle of it. Kirill Kaprizov finished it off 21 seconds into the 4-on-3 overtime on the power play, with Matt Boldy and Hughes collecting the assists.
That gave Hughes another productive night in a season that has already been packed with them. The 27-year-old defenseman played 29:28 in Minnesota’s first overtime win in five tries this year.
He now has 27 points - six goals and 21 assists - in 20 games, which puts him second among NHL defensemen behind Evan Bouchard’s 31. His 28:11 average ice time is also second among defensemen, trailing only Zach Werenski.
While Hughes was helping the Wild keep rolling on the ice, Guerin was in Toronto for the NHL general managers meetings, where the conversation naturally turned to the defenseman’s future. Hughes is due to hit free agency at the end of the season, but Guerin didn’t sound like a man losing sleep over it.
“I don’t know where this is going to go, but right now we’re playing well, Quinn’s playing great, he’s happy, I’m happy, this is not an issue and we’re not going to make it one. Let’s just play hockey.
And that’s really the way we want it. Quinn and I have a great relationship.
People might think I’m full of s-, but things are great.
“And credit to Quinn keeping this quiet. His teammates have been great about it.
Look, we’re together on this. It’s Quinn’s decision to make, and I think he’s taking the time he has and doing it his way.
And I’m really OK with it.”
Guerin also described the situation as “status quo” during the meetings, a softer tone than the one he used two weeks earlier when he told WCCO’s Chad Hartman there was “nothing to talk about right now,” adding, “What am I going to do, say ‘Please, please, please?'”
Minnesota acquired Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12, 2025, sending Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick to Vancouver. Hughes is in the final season of the six-year, $47.1 million contract he signed with the Canucks in 2021, and he has been eligible to sign an extension with the Wild since July 1. If he doesn’t sign by June 30, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
There hasn’t been much movement publicly since then. In early October, The Athletic reported that the two sides had talked multiple times, but nothing would happen until Hughes gave his agent, Pat Brisson, the green light.
Then, on Oct. 24, Hughes said he “wouldn’t be surprised if something happens soon.”
That was three weeks ago.
Even with the uncertainty hanging over the situation, Guerin said he’d keep Hughes beyond the March 1 trade deadline if that’s how things unfold. He was asked if the Wild would hold onto him even if Hughes decides he doesn’t want to stay long term, and Guerin answered, “sure, year.”
“Honestly, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes, so I mean, I want to keep him as long as I possibly can. Whether it’s three months, three years, seven years, whatever, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes.”
“I just want him to focus on hockey. Like I said, he knows what’s going on in his head. He understands everything.”
Later, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic asked Guerin about the same issue for his Tuesday column, and Guerin said he wouldn’t regret the trade even if Hughes leaves in free agency. “I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Billy said.
If Hughes remains with Minnesota through the deadline and then signs elsewhere on July 1, the Wild would be left without a return for the player they paid a hefty price to acquire. Asked when he might hit an inflection point, Guerin gave a shrug of an answer: “I don’t know. Maybe I don’t.”
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