Minnesota Wild Preview: Quinn Hughes Deal Could Shape Cup Push

The Minnesota Wild will open the 2026-27 NHL regular season on Sept. 29 with a new look around their core, a major contract question on the blue line and a goaltending crease reshaped by injury. After finishing 46-24-12 and third in the Central Division last season, Minnesota reached the Western Conference Second Round before its playoff run ended.

John Hynes returns for his fourth season behind the Wild bench. His club will again be chasing ground in a crowded Central, where the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars remain formidable and the Utah Mammoth could also be in the mix.

Hughes contract looms over the season

Minnesota’s biggest piece of unfinished business is Quinn Hughes’ next contract. The defenseman is entering the final year of the six-year, $47.1 million deal carrying a $7.85 million annual cap hit that he signed with the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 3, 2021.

Hughes became eligible to negotiate a new agreement on July 1 and could reach unrestricted free agency next July 1. He recently said there is no urgency to finish a deal before training camp, while adding that Minnesota has been “a great fit for me.” He also has a strong relationship with general manager Bill Guerin.

There is ample reason for the Wild to want a resolution. Hughes collected five goals and 48 assists for 53 points in 48 regular-season games with Minnesota. In the playoffs, he matched Kirill Kaprizov for the team lead with 15 points, producing four goals and 11 assists in 11 games.

New faces, and a scoring vacancy

The Wild chose not to bring back Mats Zuccarello, who joined the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year, $1 million contract July 1. Zuccarello posted 54 points, including 15 goals, in 59 games last season, ranking third on Minnesota. His five game-winning goals were second on the team behind Kaprizov’s seven.

Minnesota answered part of that departure by acquiring Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames on July 2 in exchange for defenseman Jake Middleton. Coleman brings two Stanley Cup rings from Tampa Bay’s 2020 and 2021 championships, along with the versatility to play either center or wing.

The 34-year-old scored 20 goals and added 15 assists in 69 games last season. He should also give Minnesota another trusted penalty-killing option after the club finished 16th in the NHL with a 79.8 percent kill rate.

Coleman’s value extends beyond the score sheet. He recorded 162 hits last season and was one of only two NHL players to reach 20 goals and 150 hits in fewer than 70 games; Brady Tkachuk was the other. Coleman has delivered at least 100 hits in each of the past nine seasons, while his four shorthanded goals were tied for second in the League, one behind Ryan McLeod.

Tracking data has also consistently placed Coleman in the 90th percentile or better among forwards in high-danger shots on goal during each of the five seasons of the puck-and-player tracking era, which began in 2021-22.

Young forwards have an opening

Charlie Stramel enters camp with an opportunity to address Minnesota’s need for center depth. The 21-year-old put up 19 goals and 25 assists in 37 games for Michigan State last season, but his push for an NHL job comes after a broken ankle suffered in March during the NCAA regional final against Wisconsin.

The condensed training camp will leave Stramel little time to make his case, but a strong showing could put him in the opening-night conversation.

Maxim Shabanov is another forward Minnesota expects to lean on. The 25-year-old signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal with the Wild on July 2 after recording five goals and 13 assists in 44 games as a rookie with the New York Islanders. He could receive top-six minutes, potentially alongside fellow Russian Kaprizov, as Minnesota looks to replace lost offense.

Projected Wild lineup

Filip Gustavsson is listed as injured following hip surgery, leaving Wallstedt and Pickard as the projected goaltending tandem heading into camp.