Quinn Hughes’ next contract may be heading toward a number that would reset the market for defensemen, and the latest buzz points to Minnesota as the place where it could get done.
According to insider David Pagnotta, the Wild and Hughes are “getting there” on an extension, with the projected price sitting around $17 million per season, if not higher. Pagnotta shared the update on the “Hello Hockey” podcast, and it marks a notable shift after recent chatter suggested the talks in Minnesota had stalled and could even spill into trade speculation.
That would be a major development for a player Minnesota already paid a steep price to acquire. Hughes made an immediate impact after landing with the Wild, putting up 53 points in 48 games while logging more than 27 minutes a night. The move looked like a swing for the fences at the time, and the production made it look even better.
The biggest question hanging over everything was whether Hughes actually wanted to stay. At his end-of-season press conference two months ago, he said he was “definitely open to re-signing” and made it clear he preferred to sort out a new deal over the summer. Still, there was enough uncertainty around the situation to keep the rumor mill spinning.
If Minnesota does lock him in, it would also shut down a dream scenario that had been floating around New Jersey. There was hope Hughes might test free agency and join brothers Jack and Luke with the Devils, creating a sibling trio. New Jersey has the cap room to be in the mix and would absolutely have interest, but a Minnesota extension would take that option off the table.
It would also raise another question for the Wild: how much star power can one roster realistically absorb? A contract at or above $17 million would make Hughes the highest-paid defenseman in the NHL.
Add Kirill Kaprizov’s deal into the picture, and Minnesota would already be committing a massive share of its cap space. That leaves the obvious follow-up - if the Wild somehow found room for Jack Hughes too, just how top-heavy would this team become?
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