- David Pagnotta reports the Wild and Quinn Hughes are getting close on a contract extension
- The number starts at $17 million a year, putting Hughes among the highest-paid defensemen in hockey
- Read below for what an extension does to Minnesota’s cap and its fit next to Kirill Kaprizov
The Wild might not have to sweat Quinn Hughes reaching free agency after all.
David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period said the two sides are “getting there” on an extension, and the figure he floated starts at $17 million per season and could climb higher. Hughes said at the end of the year he was “definitely open to re-signing” in Minnesota, so this one has been building for a couple of months.
This isn’t coming out of nowhere. Wild ownership said back in June the team fully intended to re-sign Hughes, and Bill Guerin has run an all-in operation since he landed the superstar at the deadline.
Hughes earned every dollar of it. He led the entire NHL in ice time at more than 27 minutes a night, a full minute clear of second-place Zach Werenski. After the trade he put up 53 points in 48 games and finished fifth among defensemen in scoring, 76 points combined between Vancouver and Minnesota.
Paying him gets complicated fast. Stack $17 million for Hughes on top of Kirill Kaprizov’s $17 million and Minnesota would hand nearly a third of its cap to two players. Even Edmonton doesn’t give McDavid and Draisaitl that big a slice.
So Guerin has decisions coming. Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Hartman, and Blake Coleman all come off the books after 2026-27, and the Wild still need help down the middle to break through in the West. Signing Hughes is the easy part. Building a contender around two $17 million stars is the bill that comes due.
