Elliotte Friedman is still pointing to Minnesota for Quinn Hughes, but the clock keeps ticking and the deal he expected hasn’t materialized yet.
On NHL Tonight, Friedman said he still believes Hughes will land a three-year contract with the Wild worth $18 million AAV. Even so, he sounded a little surprised that nothing has been finalized.
“I have believed that Hughes is gonna sign three times $18M in Minnesota. That is my prediction and now people are starting to wonder “what’s going on here?””
Friedman’s read carries weight around the league, which is why the lack of movement has drawn attention. He joked that Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes spent too much time enjoying their summer, making it difficult to pin Quinn down for contract talks. Still, Friedman doesn’t see a reason to hit the panic button yet.
There’s plenty of summer left, and he expects the sides to get back to it once the vacation stretch winds down. Minnesota GM Bill Guerin also addressed the situation recently on SKOR North - Minnesota Sports Judd’s Hockey Talk, saying talks are ongoing.
“I’m not gonna get too far into it, but I have been talking to his camp all along. These things take time, they are big decisions for players and teams, so it’s a process to work through it.”
Friedman also noted that newer contracts, including Leo Carlsson’s $18 million AAV deal and Macklin Celebrini’s $18.8 million AAV contract, have made the market harder to sort through. Even so, his line in the sand is clear: he won’t really start worrying unless this drags past the opening of the season.
“I will worry about this if it’s not done by the start of the season. If it’s not done by the start of the… that’s just my personal feeling. If it’s not done by the start of the season, then i’ll start to say, “hey, what’s… what’s going on here?”
For now, Hughes remains on a deal that carries a $7.85 million AAV and has one year left on it. He can become an Unrestricted Free Agent on July 1st, 2027, when every team would be able to speak with him.
The Devils are watching all of it closely. The idea of the three Hughes brothers playing together has been out there for a while, and Jack and Luke Hughes are already in New Jersey. The reported three-year Minnesota deal would line up with Jack Hughes having three years left on his own contract, which only adds to the intrigue.
If Hughes is still unsigned when the season starts, the Devils figure to be right there waiting. The article points to Sunny Mehta as the likely first call to Bill Guerin in that scenario, and it also raises the possibility that Guerin could decide to move Quinn instead of letting the situation drag on. With Guerin’s willingness to swing big, this could turn into his biggest move yet.
In Other News...
Devils Still Have A Real Shot At A Star Winger
Jason Robertsons new one-year, $12 million deal with Dallas does more than settle his immediate future. It keeps one of the leagues premier wingers on a short clock, and it puts teams with long-term ambition on alert, especially those that could use a high-end scorer to reshape their forward group. For the Devils, that kind of player always has obvious appeal, even if the current cap picture makes a major move difficult right now.
The bigger wrinkle is timing. New Jersey is not positioned to make a splash this summer, but the outlook changes significantly by next offseason, when the club should have far more room to operate. If Robertson is still heading toward the open market by then, or if his situation in Dallas forces another turn, the Devils could have a real chance to enter the conversation in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]