Minnesota’s grip on the top of the Central Division has a big asterisk hanging over it, and Bill Guerin didn’t do much to make that smaller.
The Wild are sitting first in the division and tied with the Edmonton Oilers for the Western Conference lead, but the biggest reason for that surge is also the biggest question mark. Former Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes has been a weapon for Minnesota, ranking second among NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 points in 14 games. The problem is obvious: he’s without a contract for next season.
That part isn’t new, and it has been a steady topic around the Wild ever since they brought him in from Vancouver. Minnesota paid a steep price to land him, sending a first-round pick and three former first-round picks - Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, and Liam Öhgren - to the Canucks. Now there’s a very real chance the Wild could end up with only one-and-a-half seasons of Hughes before he walks in free agency, with New Jersey looming as a possible landing spot to play with his brothers.
Asked about the situation on the Chad Hartman Show on WCCO News Talk 830, Guerin didn’t sound like a general manager with a great read on where this is headed.
“Whatever will happen, will happen, and right now the only person that knows what’s going on in Quinn’s head is Quinn, and that’s okay,” said Guerin.
He was even more direct when the conversation turned to how often he’s speaking with Hughes and his agent about a new deal.
“I have not talked to them about this in a long time,” said Guerin. “To be honest with you, there’s nothing really to talk about right now. What am I gonna do, go, ‘Please, please, please, please?'”
Eventually, Minnesota will have to decide what comes next if it becomes clear Hughes isn’t staying. Guerin may be forced to choose between keeping him for one more run or moving him to another contender and trying to salvage some value from the haul he sent to Vancouver.
“At some point in time, I’ll have to try to figure things out and see what’s best for the team,” said Guerin. “I know one thing’s for sure: having Quinn on our team is what’s best for the team.
And, you know, I don’t know. I’ll be completely honest with you, I don’t know.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
There’s no date. What we’re doing right now is focusing on our team and trying to win hockey games.
That’s really it. I think some people want to make this more complicated than it really is - being the media.
And it’s not that complicated.”
For now, the Wild keep winning and Hughes keeps producing. But Guerin’s answers made one thing feel pretty clear: this is not a situation with an easy read. One has to wonder if the reason why it’s so simple is that Guerin already knows whether or not Hughes will re-sign with the Wild.
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