Last season, the Vancouver Canucks not only suffered through one of the most disheartening campaigns in recent memory, but they also made several difficult trades of key players, not the least of which was the move that sent captain and former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild.
Hughes went on to set a new Wild franchise record for most points in a single season by a defenseman, doing so in just 47 games following the move. He also helped the Wild upset the Dallas Stars in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs before they eventually fell in round two to the Colorado Avalanche.
Hughes, who became eligible for a new contract extension on July 1, has yet to put pen to paper, and it’s safe to say that Wild fans everywhere are starting to grow a bit anxious.
Is It Time For Wild Fans To Worry That Former Vancouver Canucks Captain Quinn Hughes Might Not Re-Sign?
As each day passes without a deal, the worry factor for Wild fans about Hughes’ future with the franchise will only continue to rise.
Wild GM Bill Guerin likely wasn’t pleased by the news that Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has recently completely reset the market for elite blue liners in the NHL by signing a historic extension that made him the League’s first player to earn a yearly salary above $20 million.
Hughes, who is entering the final year of his current contract with just under an $8 million cap hit, will easily command no less than double his current salary cap hit, and some believe he could push for as much as $17 or $18 million a season, if not more.
“There’s a bar with Cale Makar signing that contract in Colorado, but Quinn might be after different things,” Guerin said recently. “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.”
“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.”
Last season split between the Canucks and Wild, Hughes scored seven goals while adding 69assists. He also tallied four goals and 11 assists in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games in the spring.
Will The Hughes Brothers Play Together?
It’s no secret that Hughes, along with his brothers Jack and Luke, would all love to play with one another on the same NHL team one day.
Both Quinn and Jack helped Team USA pick up an upset victory over Team Canada in the 2026 Milan Olympics, with the latter scoring the historic golden goal to help his program win its first gold medal since the legendary “Miracle on Ice” of 1980.
However, if Guerin is able to convince Quinn to remain with the Wild with a long-term extension, it will have made the gamble and high cost he paid in mid-December to acquire him from Vancouver worth it.
Time For Wild Fans To Worry About Former Canucks Defenseman Quinn Hughes?