The Quinn Hughes saga, as expected, has now dragged into late September, with the superstar defenseman still remaining unextended despite repeated notions of confidence from the Minnesota Wild's front office throughout the summer.
Over the course of the season, though, there have been gradual walk-backs from media members and front office staff alike (though Wild owner Craig Leipold, as the billionaire he is, is assuredly confident his blank check will result in an extension). From June to now, the narrative has shifted from some version of "He will sign" to some version of "He is unsure where he wants to be."
Yesterday, September 25th, Guerin finally said the quiet part out loud on a national TNT broadcast. In the interview, the general manager had the following to say:
"These are big decisions for players... He’s going through the process in his mind — what’s going to be best for him and his life, where does he want to be; all those things go into it."Bill Guerin
This, in conjunction with Quinn Hughes' own words at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas, should be extraordinarily worrisome for Minnesota fans. At this point, all signs point to Hughes wanting to see where both the Wild and New Jersey Devils -- the spot, mind you, that has both of his brothers -- perform throughout the course of the regular season.
The Quinn Hughes saga could come down to the Devils' and Wild's hot or cold starts
In theory, the decisions are easy ones. If the Wild are great and the Devils are in a tough spot, he seems likely to extend with the organization that he is currently under contract with. If the opposite is true, he seems likely to force his way to New Jersey via either the trade market or free agency. If both teams play poorly, perhaps he forces his way to a contender in the trade market and explores free agency. If both teams are good, well, he has a tougher decision to make (though blood is thicker than water).
With that, then, the importance of a strong start for the Devils simply cannot be overstated. The one piece of the puzzle they miss in terms of skaters is a true, bona fide #1 defenseman. Getting a defenseman the caliber of Q. Hughes, who transforms any team's fourth line into a second line, is a sure-fire way to catapult them up the Stanley Cup betting odds.
The Devils simply cannot afford to start slow. Attracting an all-world defenseman to the organization will certainly be tougher if they do.
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