Quinn Hughes is set to hit the ice tonight for the Minnesota Wild’s regular season opener against the Nashville Predators, and it’s wild that he’s still doing it without a contract extension. This massive deal was supposed to be wrapped up months ago, right after July 1, but here we are. He’s a 27 year old star defenseman playing a full season and risking $20 million per year by not having that future contract signed. It’s a gamble, pure and simple.
The Brutal Risk Hughes Is Taking
Hughes has spoken to the media multiple times, and honestly, he seems unnerved by the financial risk. Can you blame him? He admitted this week that watching his linemate and good friend Brock Faber go down in Minnesota’s preseason finale against the Dallas Stars was scary as hell. Faber got caught up high in the earhole by a rogue puck and it fractured his skull. That’s not just a bump, that’s serious. You’d think that would be the wake-up call, right? That a $100+ million guaranteed contract, which Minnesota’s apparently put on the table, would look pretty good after seeing something like that.
But nope. When asked if Faber’s “scary play” was a wake-up call to secure that $20 million extension, Hughes just nodded. He understood the question, but it didn’t sound like it swayed him one bit. “To be completely honest, I think every game I go into, I’m a little nervous just because anything can happen,” Hughes said. “As far as the play with Brock, it’s just a freak incident where the puck got him in a bad spot, and those things happen. So I think whether you have the money or not, you’re always , at least I am , I’m always going into games a little bit with that in the back of your mind.” He even admitted he thinks about something bad happening every single time he plays. Whatever anxiety those thoughts cause, though, it’s not enough to get him to ink the deal.
Why the Heck Isn’t He Signing? That’s the Million-Dollar Question
This whole situation makes you scratch your head, especially when you look at Hughes’ history. This dude was picked 7th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft. He balled out at the University of Michigan for two seasons, putting up 10 goals and 52 assists in 69 games. Then, in 2023-24, at just 24 years old, he won the Norris Trophy in Vancouver, racking up 92 points, 17 goals and 75 assists, in 82 games. That’s elite.
But here’s the kicker: In the four seasons since he took home that Norris Trophy, Quinn hasn’t even made an NHL All-Star roster. What gives? This inconsistency might be part of it, but fans in Minnesota are really struggling with his “why” right now. He made it clear to the Canucks by April 2025 that he wasn’t signing an extension there, and then got dealt to the Wild on December 12, 2025, for Marco Rossi, Liam Öhgren, Zeev Buium, plus picks. Hughes has publicly stated he loves the organization, his new teammates, and trusts president of hockey operations Bill Guerin. So, what’s holding him back from that $100+ million guaranteed? Nobody seems to know.
Tonight, Quinn Hughes takes the ice in Nashville. Beyond the points and the win, every time he steps onto that ice, he’s making a massive bet on himself, and against a freak accident. The question isn’t if he’s good, it’s why he’s putting $20 million on the line like this.
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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