Quinn Hughes is entering the final year of his contract with the Wild, and Elliotte Friedman believes any extension will be short term.
"We'll see, I still think he's only gonna sign short term if he does," Friedman said on 32 Thoughts.
He added that "we'll see what happens by the start of the season next week."
The defenseman carries a $7,850,000 cap hit this season and can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
The timing makes sense. Friedman has the cap projected at $113.5 million next season and $127.5 million in 2028-29.
A short deal lets a player cash in again once the ceiling is even higher.
So why would Bill Guerin agree to that?
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Quinn Hughes expected to seek short-term extension with Wild, Friedman says
Because the alternative is worse. Hughes won the Norris Trophy in 2023-24.
He put up 92 points that season and finished plus-38.
After moving from Vancouver to Minnesota midseason last year, he posted 53 points in 48 games for the Wild.
Across both stops, he finished last season with 76 points in 74 games.
He then added 15 points in 11 playoff games in the spring.
The Wild already carry Kirill Kaprizov at $17,000,000, the second-biggest cap hit in the league.
Guerin should take the short term and smile. A shorter deal for a Norris winner beats watching him walk for nothing next summer.
It's like renting a waterfront cottage instead of buying it. You pay a premium, but you still get the view every summer you're there.
Career-wise, he has 485 points in 507 NHL games.
The Canucks drafted him seventh overall in 2018, and he spent parts of eight seasons in Vancouver before the move.
He also had eight points in six games for the Americans at the 2026 Olympics.
John Hynes' Wild finished the preseason at 1-2-1 after a 2-1 loss to Dallas on Friday. They open October 1 in Nashville.
Friedman's deadline is the start of the season. If nothing gets done by then, every game Hughes plays becomes a public audition for 31 other teams.
Should the Wild give Quinn Hughes a short-term extension before opening night?
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