Wild Insider Gives Reason For Optimism With Quinn Hughes

It remains one of the most meaningful trades in the National Hockey League in recent memory and one of the biggest in the history of the Minnesota Wild, as they acquired former Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes in mid-December.

The trade stunned most hockey fans and Insiders, most of whom had expected Hughes to land with an Eastern Conference club, very possibly the New Jersey Devils in order to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes. However, Quinn ended up with the Wild thanks to the move from general manager Bill Guerin.

And according to a recent report from a key Wild Insider, the likelihood of Hughes extending with the Wild is growing thanks in large part to what he called it as the defenseman’s way of paying Guerin back for spending key assets to acquire him from the Canucks.

Minnesota Wild Insider Michael Russo Delivers The Latest Update On Quinn Hughes

According to Wild Insider Michael Russo, the feeling is that Hughes wants to “pay back” Guerin for spending considerable assets, including forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, to acquire him.

“If he wants to play with his brother, obviously the smartest thing to do is to not sign with the Wild,” Russo said via The Sheet podcast. “But the reason we all expect him to sign [with the Wild] is I think he realized the amount of assets the Wild gave up for him, and I think there’s a feeling from his side that he deserves to pay that back — at least give them terms on the next contract.”

Meanwhile, Russo believes that Hughes’ next contract could set the market for marquee defenseman in the NHL in the same way that recent deals for Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov and Anaheim Ducks forward Leo Carlsson have done.

“I still think this is gonna get done; I just think this is as simple as, the world has changed; they gave Kaprizov $17 million; the offer sheet for Leo Carlsson; Macklin Celebrini; a new defenseman market,” he said.

While with the Wild, Hughes set the franchise record for points by a defenseman in a single season, and also recorded points in his first eight games with the club, another franchise mark.

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman Isn’t Concerned Over The Lack Of An Extension

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, who is as dialed in as they come when it comes to NHL coverage, explained recently why he’s not concerned that Hughes has yet to agree to an extension with the Wild.

“People are starting to wonder, ‘What’s going on here?’ I don’t have any panic about it yet… I will worry about this if it’s not done by the start of the season… I thought it would’ve been done by now. I admit I’m surprised. I just think that if we go into the season and it’s not done, that’s when I’m really going to start to say, ‘Okay, like, what’s happening here?’”

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