The Quinn Hughes situation just got a lot harder for the Minnesota Wild.
What was already a tricky negotiation now comes with a new price tag attached to it, thanks to Cale Makar. The Colorado Avalanche defenseman signed an eight-year, $163.2 million extension with a $20.4 million average annual value, a deal that reset the top end of the market and handed Hughes’ camp a glaring benchmark.
That matters because Hughes has every right to point at Makar’s contract and make his case. Makar’s resume is stronger overall - two Norris Trophies, a Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy - but Hughes is still in that same elite lane of defencemen who can tilt a game on their own.
Minnesota already saw that up close after landing him from the Vancouver Canucks. Hughes stepped in as the centerpiece of the blue line and put up 53 points in 48 regular-season games while logging an NHL-high 27:44 per night. He added 15 points in 11 playoff games, too.
He’s also entering the final season of the six-year, $47.1 million contract he signed with Vancouver in 2021, and he can hit unrestricted free agency in 2027. That gives him real leverage, especially with the market now reset at the very top.
Even if the Wild believe Hughes should come in a bit below Makar, his next deal could still land close to a $20 million cap hit. And if Hughes wants to go shorter than maximum term, Minnesota has to decide whether that actually protects the franchise or just delays the same problem.
The other issue hanging over all of this is New Jersey.
The Devils remain the obvious external threat because of Hughes’ brothers, Jack and Luke, who are already key pieces there. There’s no confirmation that Quinn plans to head to New Jersey in 2027, and he has publicly said he’s open to staying with the Wild. Still, the family connection is impossible to dismiss.
That concern gets even sharper if Minnesota tries to thread the needle with a shorter extension. A three-year deal would line up Quinn’s next free agency with Jack’s in 2030, which could open the door for the brothers to coordinate again.
Meanwhile, the cost Minnesota paid to get Hughes makes this a high-stakes call. The Wild sent Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Öhgren and a 2026 first-round pick to Vancouver to bring him in. Letting him walk without getting anything back would turn that move into a brutal asset-management mistake.
And there’s no easy replacement waiting around. Hughes’ skating, puck movement, transition game and workload are not things Minnesota can simply patch over with one player. If he’s not part of the long-term plan, the Wild would need to chase multiple pieces to approximate what he brings.
That leaves Bill Guerin with a clear task: make the best possible long-term offer and force the issue. If Hughes turns it down or still won’t commit before the trade deadline, Minnesota has to seriously consider moving him.
A player of Hughes’ caliber would bring back a massive return. The Wild won’t be able to replace him perfectly, but they could at least land premium prospects, first-round picks and NHL-ready help.
With Makar setting the new standard and free agency getting closer, Minnesota needs an answer from Hughes soon. Hope is not a plan anymore.
In Other News...
Jack Hughes' Next Devils Deal Could Get Uncomfortable Fast
Jack Hughes has already reset the market once for the Devils, and his next contract figures to come at a time when the ceiling around him is moving almost as quickly as his game. Around the league, top-end player pay is climbing in a way that would have sounded aggressive only a few years ago, with recent NHL deals for the likes of Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini reflecting a broader trend toward bigger cap percentages for franchise players. For New Jersey, that matters because Hughes is no longer just a star in a vacuum, he is the kind of centerpiece whose deal will be judged against where the salary cap is heading, not where it sits today.
The uncomfortable part for the Devils is the timing. Leaguewide projections point to a sharply higher cap by 2030, and the maximum salary itself is expected to keep rising as collective bargaining changes and expansion reshape the economics around the sport. That gives New Jersey room to breathe in the long view, but it also means every year Hughes waits could make the eventual negotiation more complicated, with the numbers and the leverage both changing underneath the team. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Have A Contract Advantage Fans Should Be Watching Closely
The Devils roster has a lot going for it beyond the names on the back of the jerseys, and a big part of that is how manageable the cap sheet looks when stacked against the production coming from key players. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt remain the clearest examples, both established as top-end drivers whose contracts still look friendly compared with what they bring on the ice. Add in Arseny Gritsyuk, whose underlying numbers point to real promise after a recent extension, and New Jersey suddenly has a core that is giving a lot back without forcing the club into a financial corner.
For a team trying to stay competitive without painting itself into a cap-strapped future, that matters. The Devils do not have many deals that stick out as obvious burdens, and most of the lineup is built on contracts that feel fair or better than fair for the level of play attached to them. That kind of balance does not guarantee wins, but it does give New Jersey room to keep building, and it is the sort of advantage fans should keep an eye on as the roster continues to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Devils Face The Same Connor Hellebuyck Dilemma All Over Again
Connor Hellebuyck has surfaced again as a name the Devils are monitoring, and the timing makes sense for a team still weighing its long-term answer in goal. New Jersey already has Jake Allen, Nico Daws and David Rittich in the mix, but that has not stopped the club from being linked to one of the NHLs most accomplished netminders as the Winnipeg Jets explore what a deal would look like.
The problem for the Devils is the same one that follows any pursuit of a goalie of Hellebuycks stature: the cost is not just in assets, but in commitment. Winnipeg is looking for a hefty return, and New Jersey is reportedly wary of paying a premium for a player whose age and contract length would create real financial risk, even if his desire to settle his situation quickly keeps the door open. [Read more 🡒]