As if there wasn’t enough attention on the contract situation between Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild, Cale Makar’s recent eight-year, $163.2 million mega extension has only magnified things.
It’s now September, which means the NHL regular season starts this month, yet all is quiet when it comes to Hughes re-signing with the Wild. On Monday, GM Bill Guerin made an appearance on WCCO-AM and was, of course, asked about the superstar defenseman, to which he provided what could be considered a somewhat concerning answer.
“There’s no tension… Communication is good. It’s just these take time. I always say that because it’s true.
These guys are all individual people. I mean, could it affect you, you know, financially? Yeah. OK, there is the bar with Cale Makar signing that contract in Colorado. Quinn might be after different things. You know, he’s a different guy. He’s not Cale Makar. He’s a different personality. He’s got different things in his life that are important to him. So who knows what he’s really going to want in the end?”
The 26-year-old Hughes is poised to enter the sixth and final year of the six-year, $47.1 million contract extension he originally signed with the Canucks back in 2021 next season (2026-27). He racked up 76 points (seven goals, 69 assists) in 74 games split between Vancouver and Minnesota last season.
The longer this drags out, the noisier it’s going to get and, in turn, the ever-speculated possibility of Hughes joining brothers Jack and Luke in New Jersey only becomes more likely.
There’s still a few weeks before training camp for Guerin and Hughes to hash out a deal, but if that doesn’t happen, then the uncertainty around the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner is going to be the number one talking point every single day in Minnesota.
