Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold is confident the team will re-sign star defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Leipold told Minnesota Public Radio as much on Wednesday when discussing Hughes, who is entering the final season of a six-year, $47.1 million contract. The former Norris Trophy recipient would be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
Hughes was acquired by the Wild from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 12 in a blockbuster deal. Minnesota sent fellow defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft to Vancouver.
“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.”
Hughes, 26, did not disappoint in Minnesota, amassing 53 points (five goals, 48 assists) in 48 games. He also led the NHL in ice-time average in the regular season (27:44 per game).
Hughes continued his production in the postseason, putting up 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 11 games and a plus-10 rating. He led Minnesota to a first-round upset of second-seeded Dallas before the Colorado Avalanche ousted the Wild in five games.
“I have a voice and (Wild general manager Bill Guerin) knows it’s just a voice,” Leipold said. “I am first a fan of the Wild, and I’m second the owner. And when I give him recommendations and ideas, I’m giving it to him as a fan.”
Hughes has totaled 485 points (66 goals, 419 assists) and a plus-27 rating in 507 career games with the Canucks and Wild. He was selected by Vancouver with the seventh overall pick of the 2018 NHL Draft.
