Quinn Hughes still doesn’t have a new deal with the Minnesota Wild, and according to insider Elliotte Friedman, the price tag just went up significantly from what he originally expected.
Hughes became extension-eligible on July 1, and for most of the summer, Friedman’s expectation was that the deal would land around three years and $18 million per season. That’s no longer the case.
“My prediction, I said it at the beginning of the summer, was that Hughes would sign for three times 18. Well, that was before Carlsson’s deal, and that was before Makar’s deal,” Friedman said on NHL Tonight.
Elliotte Friedman on Quinn Hughes
Leo Carlsson signed a five-year, $18 million AAV deal with the Anaheim Ducks over the summer, while Cale Makar reset the market entirely with his eight-year, $163.2 million extension with the Colorado Avalanche. With those numbers now on the board, Friedman believes Hughes’ camp has plenty of leverage to push well past his original estimate.
“Would any of us be surprised if the number was right around 20? I don’t think any of us would,” Friedman said.
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Term remains the bigger question mark than money. Speculation has persisted that Hughes wants a shorter deal to line up his next contract with brother Jack Hughes‘ expiring deal in New Jersey in 2030, rather than the eight-year term Minnesota would prefer.
“I think the thing that helps Minnesota here, is I’m not convinced Hughes wants term; I don’t think Hughes wants long term, and I think that will help Minnesota deal with this in the next couple of years,” Friedman said.
He added that talks between the two sides are expected to pick up soon. “I do think the Wild and Hughes are going to be meeting soon,” Friedman said.
September 15 marks the deadline for the Wild to sign Hughes to an eight-year deal before the maximum allowable term for a re-signing drops to seven years. Training camp opens September 16, and Hughes is expected to attend regardless of whether a new deal is in place by then.
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