December 13, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nHughes is in the fifth year of a six-year deal that pays him $7.85 million AAV. He\u2019s eligible for an extension on July 1.<\/p>\n
There has been a lot of speculation that Hughes would want to join forces in New Jersey with his brothers, Jack and Luke, or play for his home state Detroit Red Wings if he becomes a free agent in July 2027.<\/p>\n
There have been no assurances given to the Wild that Hughes will extend next summer, per league sources.<\/p>\n
But because he\u2019s eligible for an extension before the new collective bargaining agreement kicks in Sept. 15, they would be the only team that can sign Hughes to an eight-year extension with a frontloaded structure, including unlimited signing bonuses like the record eight-year, $17 million AAV contract they recently gave Kirill Kaprizov.<\/p>\n
And while no assurances have been made by Hughes, a league source said it\u2019s way easier to convince a player to sign once he\u2019s in the place rather than not.<\/p>\n
Hughes, 26, has been the top name on the trade market and immediately becomes the most talented blueliner the Wild have ever had. Minnesota gave up a haul in this trade, including a top prospect in Buium and, as of recently, their No. 1 center in Rossi, but this is a franchise-altering trade.<\/p>\n
Once Guerin, the Wild\u2019s president of hockey operations and GM, signed Kaprizov to a deal that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL, there was an underlying belief that the next 3-4 years would be a window for them to finally be serious Stanley Cup contenders. The Wild have not gone past the first round in a decade, and owner Craig Leipold said before this season that they wanted to be \u201cmore than just a playoff team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Wild, after a red-hot November, have been one of the best teams in the league, beating contenders such as the Avalanche and, on Thursday, the Stars. Guerin said entering the season that, with the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts mostly off the books, they\u2019d have a chance to go big-game hunting during the season. And Hughes, by far, is the biggest fish.<\/p>\n
Rossi has been their No. 1 center until a recent lower-body injury sidelined him several weeks, but the emergence of Russian rookie Danila Yurov has helped provide some depth and some potential for movement from up the middle. Yurov, a fellow first-round pick, has centered a line with Kaprizov and Zuccarello, replaced most recently by Vladimir Tarasenko.<\/p>\n
Buium, the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, was the Wild\u2019s top prospect overall. He made his NHL debut in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring after being a Hobey Baker Finalist with the University of Denver. He\u2019s been a fixture on the third pair with Zach Bogosian.<\/p>\n
What it means for Wild<\/p>\n
This is arguably the biggest trade in franchise history and signals the fact that the Wild feel they\u2019re ready to make the jump into the category of a serious contender. They boast a strong core with a superstar in Kaprizov, recently signed to become the highest-paid NHL player in history, and another superstar-in-waiting in Matt Boldy. They\u2019ve gotten strong goaltending from Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.<\/p>\n
Guerin has realized that free agency is likely not the way to significantly impact the team, with the salary cap going up for every team, so the biggest splash he can make is via trade. And while there\u2019s no guarantee Hughes signs a long-term extension with the Wild, this gives them two playoff swings with a top-three defenseman in the league, which could impact them in every situation.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been 10 years since the Wild made it out of the first round and this move \u2014 for better or worse \u2014 will be judged on how far they can get over that hump the next couple of seasons. They\u2019ve certainly mortgaged a lot of futures the last two years in the David Jiricek trade and this one, with Buium, Rossi and another first-rounder going out the door. \u2014 Joe Smith<\/p>\n
What it means for Canucks<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an understatement to call the departure of Hughes a devastating blow to the Canucks. Hughes was by far the greatest defenseman in franchise history. He\u2019s a bona fide superstar, a player who, over the last two years, played at a near Hart Trophy level. You can spend years drafting in the top five and there\u2019s no guarantee that you\u2019ll land a player of Hughes\u2019 caliber again.<\/p>\n
The Canucks\u2019 inability to be competitive in Hughes\u2019 seventh full NHL season is obviously a colossal failure. However, with the writing on the wall that Hughes wasn\u2019t going to re-sign in Vancouver long-term, the Canucks had to do their best to minimize the pain with a package that could set up the rebuild that they are now obviously entering.<\/p>\n
To that extent, the Canucks may have made the most of a bad situation. Rossi, Ohgren and the first-round pick are quality assets, but the real prize is Buium. Buium, who was regarded as one of the best prospects in all of hockey, has the potential to be a top-pair star. His ability to reach his ceiling in the years to come will make or break the return for what is one of the biggest trades in the franchise\u2019s history. \u2014 Harman Dayal<\/p>\n