Michael Russo thinks the Wild will hold onto Quinn Hughes at the deadline if he hasn't signed, rental or not.
Russo made the call Thursday, and it cuts against a lot of the trade chatter. The Wild are 14-3-4 and 8-0-2 in their last 10 games, and he doesn't see a team in a hurry to sell.
His words on Hughes: "He really could be the Wild's rental; I really, at this point, think that if we get to the deadline and he's not signed by the Wild...the Wild are just gonna keep him and go for it."
Hughes is in the final year of his contract and is set to be an unrestricted free agent. The sheet shows no extension signed, which is why the word "rental" keeps coming up around a 27-year-old defenseman with 28 points in 21 games.
Minnesota arrives in Boston tonight on a two-game winning streak, having beaten Toronto 5-2 on Thursday.
Russo isn't alone. Elliotte Friedman's update on Hughes and Nikita Kucherov landed Saturday with a similar message: the Wild and the Lightning plan to keep their stars and chase the Stanley Cup.
Why would the Wild keep Quinn Hughes without a new contract?
Because the standings leave them little reason to sell. Minnesota owns a +24 goal differential, and Hughes has two game-winning goals this season.
He also plays a role that is hard to replace in-season. He has 10 power-play assists and a +9 rating, and he drives the transition game every shift.
Trading him for futures while the team is winning would be a mistake. A deadline sale of a top-pair defenseman would hand the rest of the Central a gift, and the return would have to be enormous to justify it.
Losing a player of his caliber for nothing in July would hurt, and Bill Guerin knows it.
David Pagnotta's take on Hughes' Minnesota future left room for the idea that Hughes isn't necessarily gone from the Wild, even if a Dylan Larkin deal never materializes. That fits Russo's read: push everything in now and sort out the contract later.
The Wild are at Boston tonight, and every game Hughes plays without a new contract keeps this question alive heading toward the deadline.
BOBSONDAGE
What will the Wild do with Quinn Hughes at the deadline?
BOBCHOIX
Keep him and go for it | Trade him | Sign him before then
BOBKEYWORDS
Quinn Hughes Wild deadline | Michael Russo Quinn Hughes | Minnesota Wild rental | Quinn Hughes contract | Bill Guerin Wild | Wild at Bruins
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
What will the Wild do with Quinn Hughes at the deadline?
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