- Bill Guerin says the Wild are giving Quinn Hughes time on his next contract, not pressure
- The GM compared the situation to how Minnesota handled Kirill Kaprizov’s extension last summer
- Read below for what Guerin said about where things stand
Bill Guerin isn’t putting a clock on Quinn Hughes.
Minnesota’s general manager addressed his star defenseman’s contract situation during the Wild’s preseason game on TNT Friday, and the message was patience, not pressure.
Guerin was asked about where things stand with Hughes and drew a direct line to how the Wild handled Kirill Kaprizov’s extension last summer, via TheScore.
“Like I’ve said before, like with Kirill (Kaprizov) last year, Quinn this year, these are big decisions for players,” Guerin said. “They’ve put a lot of thought into it. Quinn’s a very thoughtful guy. He’s going through the process in his mind. What’s gonna be best for him and his life? Where does he wanna be? All those things go into it. It’s no different than Kirill, no different than any other player.”
He kept going from there.
“We’re trying to allow him the time, not put too much pressure on him,” Guerin said. “He knows where we stand. We want him here for a long, long time. He’s a big part of our team, a big part of our core. But again, these things take time.”
Hughes is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season. He’s put up 53 points in 48 games since Minnesota acquired him from Vancouver in December, a trade that cost the Wild defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, and a first-round pick that became Adam Novotny.
The Norris Trophy winner has said before that he’s not rushing this. He’s made clear a deal gets done on his own schedule, not anyone else’s.
Guerin’s patience has paid off before. The Wild signed Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million extension last Sept. 30, a $17 million cap hit that stood as the richest in NHL history until three players passed it.
He already locked up his own future in Minnesota this month with a multi-year extension of his own. Whether Hughes lands on the same timeline is still unclear, and for now, the GM sounds perfectly fine waiting on the answer.
