The 2026-27 NHL season is right around the corner, but the Minnesota Wild have yet to sign Quinn Hughes to a contract through the upcoming campaign. The way things are looking, Hughes won’t be extended before the puck drops. Disappointing as that may be, the Wild aren’t staying with their arms crossed. Instead, they made a firm stand by their general manager, Bill Guerin.
‘Bill Guerin has signed a multi-year contract extension as GM of the Minnesota Wild,” as reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on her X account. As is the norm with coaches’ and executives’ contracts in the NHL, Minnesota is keeping the exact term of Guerin’s new deal to itself.
Regardless, such a decision sends a loud message across the negotiation table where the Wild and Hughes’ camp have been all summer long, but virtually no progress has been made.
Minnesota’s debut in the 2026-27 NHL regular season is on Oct. 1, so the clock is ticking for the two sides to leave the drama at the door and enter the campaign with no distractions. At this point, that may be too wishful thinking.
Quinn Hughes during the NHL/NHLPA North American Player Media Tour.
Hughes speaks highly of the Wild, but hasn’t re-signed
Hughes has time and again brought calm—or attempted to do so—with reassuring statements about how he feels in Minnesota. Still, that may do little to ease the anxious mood in the Twin Cities.
“I just think that we’re going through the process, specifically myself, and just taking the time. I don’t feel pressure to do anything [before the season]. That’s not saying something won’t,” Hughes said, via The Athletic. “I’m really happy here. I love the guys. I love the team. And I fit in really well.”
Contract talks in Minnesota
Only one thing will bring peace to the Wild, and that’s Hughes’ signature on a contract extension. If it’s a three-year deal, however, it will only be a fugazi, because that would all but confirm he is aligning his contract with that of brother Jack, as both would become UFAs in the summer of 2030.
Would it be ideal for Minnesota? Probably not, but it’s far better than the alternative, and it still gives Guerin a four-year window to go all in for a Stanley Cup. The way things are trending, the recently extended general manager in Minneapolis may not get a better deal done with Hughes.
Key takeaways
- General manager Bill Guerin signed a multi-year contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.
- Quinn Hughes remains undecided on an extension while taking time through the process.
- A potential three-year deal would make Hughes an unrestricted free agent in 2030.
SurveyWill Hughes re-sign in Minnesota before the start of the regular season?
Will Hughes re-sign in Minnesota before the start of the regular season?
ALREADY VOTED 0 PEOPLE
