- The Athletic’s Chris Johnston says the Wild at least have to consider trading Quinn Hughes
- Hughes is a pending UFA with no extension and the Wild sit at 6-2-2
- Read below for Johnston’s reasoning and what Hughes has said about his contract
The Minnesota Wild at least have to consider trading Quinn Hughes, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
Johnston included Hughes on his early-season NHL trade board Wednesday. He wrote that the Wild should weigh a move if Hughes “remains unwilling to engage in contract discussions,” and that Hughes “holds most of the cards here and remains in no rush to work out an extension.”
Johnston also pointed to what Minnesota paid. The Wild “gave up a boatload of future capital” to get Hughes from Vancouver, including top prospect Zeev Buium, and he said that could push them to “at least recoup some of those assets” instead of watching him walk next summer.
Hughes was asked about his contract status before the season. He said the extension would “be done whenever I feel like it needs to be done,” and added that he doesn’t feel “backed up against a wall,” per Pro Hockey Rumors.
Over on Daily Faceoff, Jeff Marek and The Fourth Period took up the same topic and asked whether a Dylan Larkin trade could be tied to keeping Hughes in Minnesota. Take a look at the discussion:
The Wild are 6-2-2 through 10 games and are chasing a Stanley Cup this season, so trading their best defenseman isn’t the obvious play. Pro Hockey Rumors noted that Carolina did flip Mikko Rantanen to Dallas just over a month after acquiring him once it became clear he wouldn’t consider an extension, and the Hurricanes won the Cup the next season.
Minnesota has lived through this before with Kirill Kaprizov, who eventually signed an eight-year deal at $17 million per season. Hughes hasn’t signed anything yet. GM Bill Guerin said in August that “these things take time,” and we covered his stance on not pressuring Hughes in September.
Johnston framed a Hughes trade as a scenario to consider, not a report that trade talks have started.
