‘We are going to re-sign him’: Wild owner confident Quinn Hughes will stay with team
While no deal has been done yet, there’s optimism that a top player will be staying in the State of Hockey.
In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio on Wednesday, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold admitted that the team is going to sign defenseman Quinn Hughes to an extension.
“First of all, Quinn Hughes is an extraordinary player and an extraordinary person,” said Leipold. “We had to give up a lot to get him in this past year. We are going to re-sign him. The question will be for how long. We would like to go as long as we could. He will probably want it to be a little shorter — shorter being maybe three years. We hopefully will end up at five, I don’t know, and the reason I can openly talk about this is that I’m not doing the negotiating.”
Hughes came over to Minnesota in the blockbuster trade in December, as the Vancouver Canucks traded their captain to the Wild in exchange for Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. It altered the perception of the team, as it solidified the Wild as a certified contender in the Western Conference. In 48 games with Minnesota, the Orlando native posted five goals and 48 assists for 53 points, helping the team secure third place in the Central Division. Hughes had a huge hand in Minnesota defeating the Dallas Stars in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and while the team was eliminated in the division finals at the hands of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, there’s a sense of confidence that the Wild are on the rise.
Hughes scored four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 11 games in the postseason. In all, he finished the year with seven goals and 76 points in 74 regular-season appearances.
The 26-year-old’s contract situation has been a talking point dating back to his time with the Canucks. Now, in a place that he seems to enjoy being a part of, an extension to stay in the Twin Cities seems to be a great possibility. He’s heading into the final season of his six-year contract, which carries an AAV of $7.85 million. He’s eligible to sign an extension on July 1.
In 507 career regular-season games, Hughes has notched 66 goals and 419 assists for 485 points, with another 41 points in 41 playoff contests. He also won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top blueliner during the 2023-24 campaign.