Quinn Hughes, Wild to discuss contract this week: report

Quinn Hughes and his representatives are expected to meet with Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin this week to discuss his next contract, The Athletic reported Tuesday.

The 26-year-old defenseman is entering the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract ($7.85 million average annual value) he signed with the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 3, 2021. He would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, 2027.

The Wild acquired Hughes in a trade with the Canucks on Dec. 12, 2025, for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Hughes had 76 points (seven goals, 69 assists) in 74 games last season, including 53 points (five goals, 48 assists) in 48 games following the trade. He was second among NHL defensemen in assists, behind Evan Bouchard of the Edmonton Oilers (74), and eighth overall. He tied forward Kirill Kaprizov for the Wild lead with 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games, finishing plus-10.

Minnesota lost the Western Conference Second Round in five games to the Colorado Avalanche. The Wild defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the first round to advance for the first time since 2015.

"We're interested in signing Quinn too," Guerin said at Minnesota's season-ending media availability. "We loved having Quinn. He was so impactful, he's extremely dialed in on what's going on here. I know he liked it here, I know he likes the team. The team really embraced him.

"I love having him here, and the impact that he had on our team was incredible. These are things that take time and I think everybody needs a little bit of time to decompress, but that's priority (No.) 1."

Hughes was selected by Vancouver with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and played eight seasons there. He was traded when it became evident he would not be signing another contract with the Canucks after his existing deal expired.

Minnesota acquired Hughes hoping it could convince him to stay beyond the 2026-27 season.

"I really like it here; I think that I would definitely be open to re-signing," Hughes said May 15, two days after the Wild were eliminated by the Avalanche. "We'll see what Billy wants to do. I think there is definitely a couple (of factors).

"I can say that I really like it here. I love the team, I love the city and the fans and just being in that locker room with a special group and I would be really open to signing here with the guys that we have in the room and just the people we have in the room."

Last month, Wild owner Craig Leipold told Minnesota Public Radio they would sign Hughes to a long-term contract.

"First of all, Quinn Hughes is an extraordinary player and an extraordinary person," Leipold said. "We had to give up a lot to get him in this past year. We are going to re-sign him. The question will be for how long. We would like to go as long as we could. He will probably want it to be a little shorter -- shorter being maybe three years. We hopefully will end up at five, I don't know, and the reason I can openly talk about this is that I'm not doing the negotiating."

With brothers Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes playing for the New Jersey Devils, it's believed that would be a preferable landing spot once Quinn can become an unrestricted free agent. New Jersey (42-37-3) finished seventh in the Metropolitan Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Jack Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent after the 2029-30 season. 

"Not all that is up to me; we have to talk to Bill and see where his head is at and what's he wants to do," Hughes said. "Obviously, going into the year signed would be better, but I would say I'm a pretty tough and mentally focused guy, so if we didn't have something done at the beginning of the year, I would be ready to go no matter what and focused on the task at hand. But I would say having something done is better."

Hughes then said he was going to spend extra time in Minnesota during the offseason to try and get a better feel for the surrounding areas and see all it has to offer. He also likes the direction the Wild are heading.

Minnesota acquired forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames on July 2 for defenseman Jake Middleton, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft. It also re-signed forward Nick Foligno (one year, $900,000), and signed forwards Bobby Brink (one year, $2.75 million), Maxim Shabanov (one year, $1.6 million) and goalie Calvin Pickard (one year, $1 million).

"I have a lot of trust with Billy and respect him, and I think the way he views putting a championship team and getting the players we need, that's how I view things and he's a great person -- he just takes care of the players and it's a great organization," Hughes said. 

"I want to win and he wants to win more than anyone. … He's going to do everything we can to make us a championship team and for me, that makes me excited."

NHL.com staff writers Derek Van Diest and Tracey Myers contributed to this report