The Minnesota Wild pushed their chips to the middle of the table when they acquired Quinn Hughes, showing their desire to make a serious push towards a Stanley Cup.
Unfortunately, their season came to a disappointing end, losing in five against the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now the attention shifts towards building for next season, with Hughes a big part of the puzzle that will need to be figured out.
Less than 48 hours after Minnesota saw its season end, the team did hear some encouraging words from their top defenceman about his time with the team and if he would be open to extending his stay.
“I really like it here. I think that I would definitely be open to re-signing,” Hughes told reporters Friday. “We’ll see what Billy wants to do again. You know, we’re not even 36 hours removed, so it’s a tough loss. But I definitely would be open to re-signing here.”
Bill Guerin pulled off the blockbuster move to bring Hughes to the Wild, trading forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenceman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
The Wild general manager made the significant investment without assurance that the defenceman would stick around long-term.
The 26-year-old is eligible to sign an extension this summer with one more year remaining on his deal at $7.85 million.
Hughes and Guerin share a strong relationship, as the Wild general manager also led Team USA to a gold medal at the Olympics.
That relationship isn’t lost on Hughes, and Guerin’s desire to bring a Stanley Cup to Minnesota is an appealing part of the equation.
“I have a lot of trust with Billy and respect him, and I think the way he views building a championship team are the players that we need,” Hughes explained. “He’s a great person, too. Just takes care of the players, and it’s a great organization. So, I mean, I want to win; he wants to win more than anyone. I don’t think there’s many people more disappointed than him right now. So he’s gonna do everything he can to make us a championship team. And for me, that makes me excited.”
While it was a tough ending for the Wild, the team should expect to be in a similar position to contend next season with Hughes still in the fold.
When looking at the factors towards his decision on where he signs, Hughes points out that the Wild do check some of the boxes.
“I think there’s definitely a couple, you know, I think just going home, talking to my parents, my brothers, obviously leaning on family and support,” Hughes said. “But again, we’re 36 hours removed. I’m not sure I’m ready to get into detail what that would look like, but I think I can say that I really like it here.
“I love the team. I love the city and the fans. I mean, just, you know, being in that locker room was a special group and would definitely be open to signing here with the guys that we have in the room and just the people we have in the room.”