As the Minnesota Wild and Quinn Hughes negotiate a new contract, the NHL could be massively affected by this signing. The NHL has already seen some insane signings, but the question remains: what can such a superstar get? Hughes has definitely become one of the best defensemen there is in the NHL, so can he change the NHL permanently with a large contract?
Could $16M AAV+ become the new norm of the NHL?
This offseason has seen a couple of wild moves. First, the Philadelphia Flyers put forward a massive offer sheet to Leo Carlsson with an $18M AAV. The Anaheim Ducks, not wanting to lose their 21-year-old superstar, had no choice but to match the offer. A couple of days ago, Carlsson, who was the highest-paid player in the NHL for a couple of weeks, was topped by Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini, 20, was re-signed to a five-year, 18.8 AAV deal, setting up a potentially record-breaking deal in 2032. Now, the Wild have entered negotiations with Hughes, the 26-year-old superstar defenseman. The Wild have their eyes set on the Stanley Cup with their core of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Hughes, and others. Hughes will no doubt look for a lucrative deal, but Hughes may set the standard for contracts to come in stone.
By the Sharks and Ducks giving the two youngsters, Celebrini and Carlsson, almost 20 million, they may have set a new standard for the NHL moving forward. Really, Hughes and Cale Makar, who is also going to negotiate soon, can set the standard in stone. It is very interesting to see this new era of the NHL. It is going to be very normal now for superstars and maybe even stars to ask for more than 15 million a year. Hughes definitely is a huge X-factor, so perhaps Hughes could get even more than that. It is something definitely to keep an eye on for NHL fans.
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