The Minnesota Wild aren’t exactly hiding what they want. Bill Guerin said as much on Friday night, even if he kept the details close to the vest.
During the Wild’s preseason matchup with the Dallas Stars, Guerin appeared on the NHL on TNT panel with Jennifer Botterill and John Forslund and was pressed about Quinn Hughes and where contract talks stand. His answer made one thing clear: Minnesota is giving the player room to work through it on his own timeline.
“Like I’ve said before, like with Kirill last year, Quinn this year. These are big decisions for players.
They put a lot of thought into it. Quinn’s a very thoughtful guy.
He’s going through the process in his mind. What’s going to be best for him in his life?
Where does he want to be? All those things go into it.
It’s no different than Kirill, no different than any other player. So, we’re trying to allow him the time, not to put too much pressure on him.
He knows where we stand. We want him here for a long, long time.
He’s a big part of our team, a big part of our core. But again, these things take time.”
Botterill added that Hughes has spoken positively about the organization and the teammates around him.
The exchange came after a brief back-and-forth on how quietly the topic has been handled. Guerin even noted, “This has really been under the radar.”
There was also a little more revealing candor when the conversation shifted to the Wild’s search for help down the middle. Asked whether the team is content with its current center group or still exploring options, Guerin didn’t pretend Minnesota was finished shopping.
“You know how the rumors are usually true. We’re always looking,” he said.
He went further from there, making it plain that the position itself doesn’t matter nearly as much as the end result.
“It doesn’t matter what position it is. We always just want to make our team better.
So whatever it is, if it’s a center, if it’s a defenseman, a wing, any way that we can make our team better, and try to. We’re just trying to win a championship.
That’s it. So anytime we can make our team better, we’ll do it, regardless of the position.”
The broader picture around Minnesota hasn’t changed much. The Wild are still viewed as a team that wants to upgrade at center, and the source material points to Dylan Larkin as a target.
Their center depth has been a concern, and it didn’t hold up in the playoffs last year. Adding Larkin would help sort out the lineup behind him.
For now, though, the Hughes situation sits at the center of everything. Guerin’s message was simple: the Wild want him, they know where they stand, and they’re willing to wait - at least for now.
In Other News...
Brock Faber Knows What Must Change For The Wild This Season
Brock Faber has already become one of the more important pieces of the Wilds blue line, and at training camp he sounded like a player who understands the weight that comes with that role. The defenseman was part of the return when Minnesota moved Kevin Fiala for draft picks, and since then he has settled in as a key part of the teams plans, drawing attention not just for what he provides now but for how much more the Wild believe he can grow into.
Fabers comments at camp pointed back to last season, when he acknowledged there were stretches where his performance fell short of the standard he wants to set. He also touched on his development and the value of a strong defensive partnership with teammate Quinn Hughes, a pairing that helped him find some traction. For the Wild, the bigger question is how that progress translates into the kind of consistency they need from him this season. [Read more 🡒]