Bill Guerin isn't forcing anything with Quinn Hughes. The Minnesota Wild GM says the defenseman's future is his call, and the team will wait.
Guerin opened with some sarcasm when the question came up. "I actually cannot believe you asked," he joked, before laying out his approach.
"These are big decisions for players," Guerin said. "They put a lot of thought into it. Quinn's a very thoughtful guy."
The GM framed it as a life decision as much as a hockey one.
"What's going to be best for him in his life? Where does he want to be?"
That puts the key question squarely in the player's hands. Long term or something shorter, the call belongs to him.
Minnesota's position isn't a mystery.
"He knows where we stand," Guerin said. "We want him here for a long, long time."
Guerin says the Hughes talks are no different than Kirill Kaprizov's
Guerin compared it directly to last year's process with Kirill Kaprizov. "It's no different than Kirill, no different than any other player," he said.
Kaprizov now carries a $17,000,000 cap hit. That number will hover over every conversation about what Hughes is worth.
And he's worth plenty. After landing in Minnesota, the defenseman put up 53 points in 48 games and finished plus-6.
He added 15 points in 11 playoff games. Career-wise, he's at 485 points over 507 NHL games.
Patience is the right play here. Rick Dhaliwal reported Hughes left Vancouver because he was tired of the chaos, so the last thing Minnesota should offer is pressure.
Pushing for a quick answer would be like asking someone to sign a 10-year lease on a house they've lived in for half a winter.
Guerin also pointed out that he's only said great things about the organization and the players he's playing alongside.
The GM was back in a playful mood on the center rumors.
"The rumors are usually true," he cracked, dripping with sarcasm, before getting straight: "We're always looking."
"We're just trying to win a championship. That's it," he added, whether the upgrade comes at center, on defense or on the wing.
John Hynes' group dropped a 2-0 preseason game in Dallas on Wednesday. The Wild open the regular season October 1 in Nashville.
Every day without a deal gives the rumor mill more room. Guerin can joke about rumors all he wants, but the Hughes one won't be laughed off so easily.
Should the Wild accept a short-term deal if that's what Quinn Hughes wants?
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