The biggest question on the minds of Minnesota Wild fans everywhere regards the future of defenseman Quinn Hughes, whom GM Bill Guerin paid a premium to acquire in mid-December from the Vancouver Canucks.
While Hughes is eligible for a contract extension, no such extension has been signed as of yet, and with each passing day, the worry factor begins to increase that they may have to begin the 2026-27 season under a cloud of uncertainty.
The latest report indicates that Hughes could potentially be on the radar of an Eastern Conference club, and not the New Jersey Devils, where his brothers Jack and Luke play.
Minnesota Wild Defenseman Quinn Hughes Linked To Surprising Eastern Conference Club
According to Flyers writer Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the Philadelphia Flyers are a club that could make a pitch for Hughes given his relationship with former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet along with his friendship with forward Trevor Zegras.
“Hughes had a great relationship with Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet in Vancouver and is good friends with Trevor Zegras,” he said. “The Flyers were interested in Hughes last season before he was dealt to the Minnesota Wild but were informed the Vancouver Canucks had no interest in moving him here. […] They are ready to try to add a star player while making that player one of the highest-paid in the league because of their salary-cap flexibility.”
He continued:
“If you’re the Flyers, any Hughes trade would naturally have to include a contract extension, considering they would have to part with some future assets, at minimum. If Hughes wants a three-year extension — which would make him an unrestricted free agent in 2030, the same year as his brother, Jack, in New Jersey, would become a free agent — I would guess that would be palatable for the club. It would give them some runway to become a true contender if you assume the young players on the roster continue to progress.”
The Flyers already swung for the fences earlier this offseason when general manager Daniel Briere set a record-breaking offer sheet to Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson, which was ultimately matched.
The deal, which was briefly the richest in NHL history, was for $18 million per season – a number that Hughes may very well ultimately be making on his next contract.
Wild GM Bill Guerin Remains Confident
Despite the uncertainty, Wild GM Bill Guerin is maintaining his confidence that he and Hughes will ultimately be able to come to an agreement.
“This is the tough part, because I’m in the negotiations and I know everything that’s going on within the negotiations. I can’t really say the ins and outs of it because it’s not what you do. The only thing I can say is we have a great relationship with Quinn. The team, me personally, I have a great relationship with his agent. Things are going well. We are talking all the time. There’s good communication,” Guerin said.
Split between the Canucks and Wild last season, Hughes scored seven goals with 69 assists.
Quinn Hughes Linked To Surprising Eastern Conference Team