Bill Guerin isn’t slamming the door on Quinn Hughes, even if the Minnesota Wild still don’t have an extension in place.
The Wild general manager said Tuesday that contract talks with the star defenceman remain “status quo” as Hughes moves closer to unrestricted free agency on July 1. Guerin said the reason for keeping things quiet is simple: he wants Hughes locked in on the ice, not the contract noise.
“Because, honestly, I just want him to focus on hockey,” Guerin told Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com of why talks remain in that state.
“Like I said, he knows what’s going on in his head. He understands everything.”
For now, Guerin says there’s no firm point at which he’ll be forced to make a call on Hughes’ future. And if the Wild reach the trade deadline without a new deal, he’s open to keeping him anyway.
“Honestly, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes, so I mean, I want to keep him as long as I possibly can,” Guerin said. “Whether it’s three months, three years, seven years, whatever, we’re a better team with Quinn Hughes.”
Minnesota has been working to sign Hughes since he became eligible to do so on July 1, after the club paid a hefty price to bring him in last December. The Wild sent forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, defenceman Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round draft pick to the Vancouver Canucks to get him just under a year ago.
Guerin has already made clear that his leverage is limited if Hughes isn’t ready to engage. Last month, he said there was little he could do beyond waiting and hoping the player would choose to open extension talks.
“There’s nothing to talk about right now,” Guerin told the Chad Hartman Show of WCCO Talk 830 in Minnesota. “What am I going to do, say ‘Please, please, please?’”
That came only days after Hughes sounded more optimistic about where things stood. Ahead of returning to face the Canucks, he suggested Minnesota was very much on his mind.
“I’m where I’ve always been. I’m excited right now.
My two feet are planted in Minnesota and you know, something could happen soon,” Hughes said on Oct. 24.
“I’m not really sure. I’m really enjoying playing here… there’s a lot of things that are set up nicely here for me to have success individually and as a team.
“We have a great team. First thing, is you want to get into the playoffs but I would think that we have a chance to win this year.”
Hughes, 27, has six goals and 26 points in 19 games this season, and he’s averaging 28:07 of ice time, the second-highest total in the league.
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