Minnesota Wild General Manager Bill Guerin was at the Minnesota State Fair on Monday. He shared more information about extending star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Guerin sat on the Chad Hartman Show and was asked about the latest on re-signing Hughes. Furthermore, the relationship between Hughes and Guerin is in a good place. The two sides are still trying to hammer out the best deal possible.
This time last year, Guerin and the Wild were in the middle of trying to extend forward Kirill Kaprizov.
Except Guerin said trying to extend Hughes has a different feel to it than it did when they re-signed Kaprizov. Kaprizov signed an 8-year $136 million deal last September.
“The relationship is good between me and Quinn and his agent,” Guerin told Hartman. “There’s no tension. Communication has been good. I don’t have anything disheartening to say.”
Hughes’ camp and the Wild have chatted about a new deal in-person twice this summer. Guerin said this in his interview at the state fair.
As the negotiation continues, Guerin is aware that when higher-profile players such as Hughes require a new contract, there is a lot of thought that goes into it.
Hughes was traded from the Vancouver Canucks last season after deciding that it was in his best interest to move on. Now, the Canucks have kick-started a rebuild, and Hughes is closer to chasing a Stanley Cup in Minnesota.
“They’re figuring out what they want to do in their career and their life. It’s pretty heavy,” Guerin said of NHL superstars deciding on long-term deals.
So, are Guerin and the Wild convinced that Hughes sees himself in Minnesota for the foreseeable future?
“No good comes from answering a question like that,” Guerin told Hartman.
If Hughes doesn’t see a long-term future he’s happy with in Minnesota, then the next question gets asked. What would the Wild get in return for him in a trade to a destination of his liking?
“Business is business. I can’t say what I would or wouldn’t do. This game is a business, and you conduct yourself in a businesslike manner. That’s both sides,” Guerin said. “I don’t like getting into hypotheticals.”
Influence of Makar’s deal on Hughes’ future
When the Colorado Avalanche officially signed defenseman Cale Makar to his record-breaking 8-year, $163.2 million contract, that did not change the tenor of how Guerin was negotiating. He continued talks with Hughes’ camp.
The financial implication for Minnesota is clear: Makar becomes the first player to be paid north of $20 million every season under his new contract. Hughes may not be too far behind when he signs his next deal.
However, in this case, the Wild don’t seem to be willing to roll over and pay Hughes the same right off the bat. To Guerin, Makar’s case is completely separate, and he wants to keep it that way.
“There’s a bar with Cale Makar signing that contract in Colorado, but Quinn might be after different things,” Guerin said. “He’s a different guy. He has a different personality and has different things in his life that are important to him. Who knows what he’s really going to want in the end.”
Hughes family to potentially unite?
Since no extension has been signed, Hughes has been mulling over the best decision for his career. Moreover, there has been speculation that Quinn would like to play with his brother Jack and Luke, who are on the New Jersey Devils.
When the Canucks traded Quinn, he was already on the road and visiting with his brothers. When the deal was made for him to go to Minnesota, Guerin flew over to pick him up.
Jack said it was a “letdown” that he didn’t see his brother moved to the Devils, but that ought to be water under the bridge now.
Well, it’s not since Quinn is due to make this life-altering choice sooner rather than later. One that leaves fans pondering if that’s a path he’s seriously considering.
While it remains speculation at this time, Quinn going to play with his brothers still seems like it could be on the table.
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Bill Guerin speaks out about Quinn Hughes’ extension