Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Well, did you enjoy arguably the most exciting first half of regular season hockey in Minnesota Wild history.
Through 58 games, the Wild are the 34-14-10 (78 points). Not only is that second-most in the NHL, behind division-rival Colorado, but their torrid start has them on pace to challenge the 113 point franchise record posted by the 2021-22 team.
Quinn Hughes trade paying dividends for Minnesota Wild
That’s only on the ice. The most exciting moment of the 2025-26 regular season, so far, was a blockbuster trade back in December that landed the second-best defenseman in hockey, Quinn Hughes, in Minnesota.
Not only was dealing for Hughes easily the boldest trade in Minnesota’s 25-year NHL history, it was one of the most daring and shocking transactions in league history.
Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
And long as the 2023-24 Norris Trophy winner and his new superstar teammate Kirill Kaprizov are both in uniform together, the Minnesota Wild will be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Unfortunately, Quinn’s future beyond 2026-27 remains cloudy, being he is set to hit unrestricted free agency after next season. Without a doubt, that was the biggest concern when the Hughes trade was initially consummated, especially after it was reported that he made no guarantees over his future, at the time.
However, now that he’s been in the organization for (almost) a couple of months, it sounds like Quinn is warming more and more to the idea of sticking around St. Paul long-term.
MN Wild Quinn Hughes contract extension likely
In a co-written piece at The Athletic Friday morning by Michael Russo and Joe Smith, it would now “be a surprise” if Guerin can’t get a deal done with his new superstar this offseason.
The bigger question now, according to the aforementioned Minnesota Wild insiders, is not “if” a deal will get done… but how long said deal will be. Of course, winning matters so all bets are off if Quinn Hughes and his new teammates suffer an early playoff exit this spring.
All indications are he loves it so far, especially the fan base, the team and its future. And the trade has gotten him closer to his family. But he does want to win, so a lot will depend on how the Wild do this postseason and what moves they make to keep building.
At this point, though, it would be a surprise if Guerin doesn’t extend him. How long is subject to debate. Maybe he signs a three-year deal to align himself with the end of Jack’s contract, or maybe he goes eight years, since this is the last time a contract of that length can be signed.
Since the arrival of their new 26-year-old superstar back on December 12, the MN Wild are 16-5-5 when Hughes takes the ice (he sat out the Wild’s first game after the trade).
Head coach John Hynes has leaned on his stud defenseman in a way no NHL coach before him has, and he has continually answered the call. Hughes is averaging 28:18 TOI in a Wild sweater, scoring 3 goals and piling up 31 assists (27 blocks, 4 hits, 12 takeaways).
His Corsi For % has dropped slightly from what they were recently in Vancouver (60+ last two seasons), but it remains at a rather unbelievable 58.7%.
Hughes extension won’t be cheap
In other words, Quinn Hughes has been everything Bill Guerin hoped he’d be, and more, back when the president of hockey operations sent the equivalent of four 1st round picks to Vancouver, in order to get him.
That’s why this news that, regardless of where his two NHL brothers are playing in the near future, it sounds like Quinn Hughes will be in a Minnesota Wild sweater, right where he belongs. As Russo and Smith note, though, he will NOT be cheap.
Either way, Hughes and Cale Makar will reset the defenseman market. Few would have foreseen Kaprizov getting $17 million per year, so who knows where this goes? Best guess is the $14 million range.
The Athletic
Mentioned in this article: Quinn Hughes
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