The Wild have extension options of one, two, three and five years ready for Quinn Hughes, according to David Pagnotta, and the only thing left is the star defenceman's decision.
"I think they know, if he's gonna stay, the parameters of his extension are already done, it's just a matter of when he's willing to agree," Pagnotta said on Off The Roster.
So what does each option really mean? The menu says a lot about where both sides stand.
A one-year deal is a pure bet on himself. He keeps every door open, including the long-rumoured paths toward his brothers in New Jersey.
Two or three years splits the difference. Minnesota gets him through a real competitive window, and he still hits the market young enough to cash in again.
Five years is the option the Wild want most. It's the closest thing to long-term security on the table, since nothing in the framework reaches a full-length deal.
Bill Guerin's Wild wait on Quinn Hughes to choose his term
The production makes the stakes clear. Hughes has two goals and 10 points in seven games, with a game-winner and three power-play assists already.
He's 27 and carries a $7,850,000 cap hit, a bargain for a defenceman driving the offence like this.
The Wild are 4-2-1 and host St. Louis on Thursday. They've also been tied to Dylan Larkin, a move that could help prove this team is built to win now.
Minnesota should take anything three years or longer and celebrate. A one-year deal would leave the Wild right back in this spot next summer, with every rival waiting to pounce.
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It's like a restaurant handing a customer four menus. The food is already cooked, he just has to pick which meal he wants.
The options are on the table. How long Hughes chooses to stay will say more about Minnesota's future than anything happening on the ice this month.
Should Quinn Hughes take the five-year option with the Wild?
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