“I’m sure we’re going to work it out.” “I have a great relationship with Billy (Guerin).” “I loved my season, my time in Minnesota last year.” “Me and Billy will be in constant communication.”
Those quotes are not good for the narrative. The narrative that New Jersey Devils fans have been running with for months is that Quinn Hughes is eventually going to join his brothers in the Garden State. However, the above quotes, which were released on the 32 Thoughts podcast on Thursday, show that Hughes has a singular focus.
Now, let’s be clear: there is a nonzero chance that Hughes is giving this his best effort and seeing if it works out with the Wild. There are two things that are really still going in the Devils' favor: Hughes still hasn’t signed a contract and doesn’t feel pressure to sign one prior to the season, and all signs point to him wanting a short-term contract for all of the money.
Let’s talk about that second point for a moment. Is Bill Guerin, famously a GM’s GM, willing to set the market with a max contract on a short-term deal? Cale Makar signed the biggest contract in the history of the NHL, but he did it on an eight-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche. Would Guerin give Hughes $20.8 million for three years without a larger commitment?
That’s the part of this narrative that hasn’t actually been addressed. Many assume that Guerin is willing to give Hughes every dime he’s looking for just to make the massive bet he made worthwhile, but with how respected he is in Minnesota, he might have the luxury to look towards the future, and a future with $37 million on two players and no centers might not be the best path forward.
As for the timing on this contract, if feels like this should be done by now, but Hughes essentially said he had no interest in negotiating in the summer. Maybe that’s true, but wouldn’t all parties just rather get this done by July 1st so that Hughes could really enjoy his summer?
Devils fans did not take kindly to the quotes from Hughes.
I'm still under the full belief that Quinn Hughes will re-sign with Minnesota.
— Neil Villapiano (@neilvillapiano) September 10, 2026
For how long is more the true story, in my opinion #MNWild #NJDevils https://t.co/nadPxGsH8J
And here’s the deal, Quinn Hughes just said a bunch in Wednesday’s interviews that was good for the narrative. He was talking out of both sides of his mouth, which came off as very odd if we’re being completely honest. Maybe he is trolling everyone and has his mind made up. If he does, we still don’t have enough evidence if he’s going to sign a contract tomorrow, wait for a Dylan Larkin trade, hold out hope for free agency, or demand a trade to the Devils.
Despite the words he actually said, everything is still on the table.
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