The Minnesota Wild’s regular season is officially underway, but superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes is still nowhere close to making a concrete decision about his future beyond this year. General manager Bill Guerin, owner Craig Leipold, and the whole Wild organization seriously thought Hughes would sign a contract extension before the season even started. That just didn’t happen. It’s wild, man. They’re clearly ready to throw the maximum amount of money they can at him, for whatever term he wants, but even though Hughes has talked a bunch about how much he loves his time in Minnesota, he’s just held off putting pen to paper.
The Waiting Game Is Killing the Wild
Yeah, that stall isn’t changing anytime soon. The latest word on the Hughes situation is not exactly good news for Wild fans. Pierre LeBrun from The Athletic dropped some intel this week that sums it up: “My understanding of the situation is that it’s rather simple: He’s in no rush,” LeBrun wrote. “This could take months before he decides his future. It’s a tough situation for the all-in Wild. … But all Minnesota can do is wait. It’s a story that isn’t going away.” Can you believe that? Months! This team is all-in, and their cornerstone defenseman is basically just chilling, leaving everyone in limbo.
What Is Hughes Even Waiting For?
So, what’s the big deal? What is Hughes actually waiting for, you have to ask? Is he trying to see how the Wild look for the first two or three months of the season before he makes up his mind? Is he holding out to see if Guerin can actually pull off a deal for a No. 1 center, maybe even for his good friend Dylan Larkin? Or is he just totally torn between his two massive options, an extension in Minnesota or becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer, and simply in no rush to decide?
The Wild are actually off to a pretty decent start, sitting at 2-0-1 heading into Thursday night’s game against the Lightning in Tampa. And Hughes? He’s been electric. He’s got an assist in all three games and even ripped one into the net against the Bruins in last Saturday’s home opener. Even without his defense partner, Brock Faber, who is out indefinitely with a scary skull fracture, Hughes has picked up right where he left off last season, proving he’s one of the best defensemen and overall players in the entire NHL. But like Michael Russo and Joe Smith from The Athletic pointed out, all Guerin and the other Wild players can do is take this season day-by-day, win games, and just hope Hughes eventually decides this is where he wants to be for the long haul.
The Looming December Deadline
Here’s where things get really spicy. What if it’s December, or even January, and Hughes still hasn’t signed? At that point, the Wild might have to seriously consider trading him for a monster haul to get back some of the assets they gave up to acquire him last December. The idea of losing him for absolutely nothing next summer would be a total disaster, a gut punch that would set the franchise back years. You know the Wild are undoubtedly praying it doesn’t come to that, but the clock is ticking, and Hughes is showing no signs of speeding up.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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