Minnesota Wild

Quinn Hughes Cool About Contract, Addresses Playing With Brothers

Quinn Hughes addressed the media in Minnesota on Thursday and answered questions about his contract talks, including what’s taking so long.

by
Jim Parsons
September 17, 2026

While everyone else in Minnesota seems to be worrying, superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes says there’s nothing wrong behind the scenes when it comes to his contract negotiations with the Minnesota Wild— he’s just taking his time. Speaking to reporters on Thursday as training camp opened, Hughes brushed off any notion of tension between himself and the team. His messaging is essentially that he’s cool, and others should be too.

“First of all, it’s September 16th. I mean, Kirill didn’t sign… I don’t even know when, but later than this. So I wouldn’t say there’s any issues here,” Hughes said. “I just think that we’re going through the process, specifically myself, and just taking the time.”

He added that he doesn’t feel any urgency to get a deal done, even with the season approaching. “I’m really happy here. I love the guys. I love the team, and I fit in really well,” he said.

What About The Rumors Hughes Wants to Join His Brothers?

Hughes was asked about the reports he’s looking to align his contract with Jack’s in New Jersey, or that he might already have one foot out the door. How real is the possibility of eventually playing alongside his brothers, Jack and Luke? Hughes didn’t shut the door entirely, but he brushed off any suggestion that he’d pass up a great opportunity in Minnesota to make that happen.

“I think, obviously, like, yeah, there’s a draw to playing with those guys at some point,” he said. “But I think Jack said it perfectly at media tour: I’m not going to sacrifice a great spot for me to play… with them.”

Hughes made it clear he isn’t stressed about finalizing a contract before the season starts, though he didn’t rule out a deal coming together before then either. As for what the term or the specifics of a deal might look like, there’s a report surfacing from Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic that the Minnesota Wild have made clear to Hughes that they were willing to offer the maximum eight-year term at an annual average value exceeding Cale Makar‘s record-setting $20.4 million deal — a figure that would have made Hughes the highest-paid defenseman in NHL history.

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