There still doesn’t appear to be any fresh movement around Minnesota Wild pending UFA defenseman Quinn Hughes.
On NHL Network, Elliotte Friedman said the situation remains unchanged for now, even if the conversation around Hughes keeps getting louder every time he speaks.
“With the caveat that this can change with one phone call, the answer is no. I, you know, the thing is now we’re like parsing every sentence that Quinn Hughes says, right?
Like the moment he says anything, we’re all. What does this mean?
We’re consulting fortune tellers and tarot card readers, and you know, what, what does this mean with what Quinn Hughes said?
And he, but right now, as far as I know, it hasn’t changed. You know, you heard Bill Guerin’s interview this week, where he basically said, “There’s not much I can do.”
Friedman also laid out why he thinks Minnesota may be inclined to push ahead rather than hold back. He pointed to Hughes being open about not guaranteeing an extension after he was traded from Vancouver last year.
He said Hughes told people, “I’m not, I’m not saying that I will or I won’t. I’m just not saying I will.”
Friedman contrasted that with what happened when Carolina moved Mikko Rantanen last year, noting Rantanen gave Carolina four teams he would consider extending with, which helped the Hurricanes make a deal before eventually sending him to Dallas.
In Friedman’s view, Hughes is unlikely to provide that kind of list, which could leave Minnesota dealing only for futures if it decides to move him. He said the Wild “won their first playoff round in 12 years with himm last year,” have a good team, and should simply “go for it,” adding that he wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what “gambling Billy Guerin decides to do.”
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