Quinn Hughes has been eligible to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Wild for well over a month. Both Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar have been eligible to sign contract extensions with their respective teams since July 1, although arguably the two best defensemen in the National Hockey League remain without new deals beyond the 2026-27 season. Hughes, who was traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Minnesota Wild last December, recorded 53 points in 48 regular-season games after the move and added 15 points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. “I believe that Hughes is going to sign 3×18 in Minnesota, that is my prediction,” Friedman said on the NHL Network on Friday. If that prediction proves true, Hughes would become the highest-paid player in Wild history in terms of average annual value.