Bill Guerin’s Latest Quinn Hughes Comments Raise Questions About His Minnesota Wild Future

Wild GM Bill Guerin speaks on Quinn Hughes extension talks© Getty via AFP

Quinn Hughes is playing out the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Wild, and there's still no extension in sight. GM Bill Guerin addressed the situation Wednesday, and what he said didn't calm anyone down. Hughes, acquired from Vancouver last December in a blockbuster deal, has been everything Minnesota hoped for on the ice. Off it, his future remains wide open. Fans watching the clock on this one have reason to stay worried, and Guerin's latest remarks did little to change that picture.

Guerin Has No Clear Answer on Hughes Extension

When reporters pressed him on the contract situation, Guerin didn't hold back on how little progress has been made. “There's nothing to talk about right now,” he said. “What am I going to do, say ‘Please, please, please?'” That's not the tone of a GM who's close to a deal.

He went further when asked about what happens if Hughes doesn't sign before the deadline pressure builds. “I haven't really decided, at some point in time I'll have to try to figure things out and see what's best for the team. I know one thing's for sure: having Quinn on our team is what's best for the team. And, you know, I don't know,” Guerin added.

Then came the part that really stuck: “I'll be completely honest with you, I don't know. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what I'm going to do. There's no date. What we're doing right now is focusing on our team and trying to win hockey games. That's really it. I think some people want to make this more complicated than it really is, being the media. And it's not that complicated.”

That last line is interesting. Guerin is essentially saying the media is overcomplicating things. But when a top-five defenseman is heading toward free agency with no extension news, the questions are fair. Hughes currently has three goals and 15 assists this season, on pace for roughly 18 goals and 90 assists. The Wild are built around him. Not knowing if he stays is a real problem.

Hughes' Rogers Arena Return Added More Layers

Hughes returned to Vancouver on Sunday for the first time since the trade. He scored a second-period goal to reach 500 career points, and the Rogers Arena crowd gave him a genuine ovation during a tribute video. It was a clean moment. Emotional, even. But it also kept the rumours humming.

The New Jersey Devils remain the most talked-about destination if Hughes hits the open market. His brothers Jack and Luke are there. Connor Hellebuyck, his Team USA teammate, is now a Devil too. That's a roster and a pull that's hard to ignore. Until Hughes signs with Minnesota, that storyline won't go away.