Early on this past season, the St. Louis Blues solidified themselves as a selling team at the trade deadline. It certainly didn't help that they are in the Central Division, which basically had the top three playoff spots locked in for the entirety of the season. Even after trading players like Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk at the deadline, the team did make a push for a Wild Card spot, falling just four points short.
For the Blues, they were an active team this offseason, as they made an effort to get younger, but remain competitive. It's similar to what the New York Rangers did. A "retool." The Blues' chances of contending for the playoffs will certainly increase if one of the top teams in the division, such as the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild, take a step back. When it comes to the latter, it appears they are in a bit of flux when it comes to contract negotiations with the Wild and one of their top players.
In a recent appearance on the Judd's Hockey Show podcast, Wild general manager Bill Guerin provided a bit of an update on the Quinn Hughes contract negotiations. Guerin downplayed the fact that an agreement hasn't been reached just yet, despite months of the two sides expressing interest on agreeing to terms on an extension.
Wild GM's non-update on Quinn Hughes contract negotiations is good news for Blues fans
"I’m not gonna get too far into it, but I have been talking to his camp all along. These things take time... they are big decisions for players and teams, so it’s a process to work through it," said Guerin, h/t Pucks and Pitchforks.
What do you expect Guerin to say? Well, considering that Hughes and the team said multiple times they'd be open to signing a contract extension after their playoff run ended back in May, you'd expect some sort of update. Not to mention, it's been over a month since NHL free agency opened up.
Contract negotiations for Hughes were always going to be difficult. For a player of his caliber, you'd expect a team to want to extend him at the maximum term. However, for Quinn, it's the worst-kept secret in hockey that he wants to line up his free agency year with his younger brother Jack, the current star of the New Jersey Devils. The Hughes brothers have discussed multiple times about teaming up at some point during their NHL careers. The summer of 2030 would be the earliest if both hit free agency at the same time.
As for how much Hughes could make, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman predicts that it would be a three year deal worth $18 million per season.
Again, no deal has come to fruition just yet. The longer this takes, the better news it is for the rest of the division, especially the Blues.
Blues could benefit if Quinn Hughes contract talks with Wild blow up
Again, this is hypothetical talk. If talks with Hughes go nowhere, it could potentially open the door for the Wild to trade him during the season, as a way to ensure they don't lose him for nothing in free agency. Without Hughes on Minnesota's roster, they are a significantly worse team. Let's not forget that the Wild are without a top line center, and are currently stuck waiting for an answer from the Detroit Red Wings on a Dylan Larkin trade.
For the Blues to capitalize in this situation, they would need to start off strong. They can't afford to have a slow start to the season like last year, which put them on the outside looking in. They did, after all, trade away one of their top scorers in Jordan Kyrou. Not to mention, they are taking gambles on Jimmy Snuggerud and Mason McTavish to take that next step, production-wise, this upcoming season. If that works in their favor, the Blues could very well be in competition for the third playoff spot in the Central Division.
But, let's face it, we are deep in the offseason where the entire league is on summer vacation. We should learn a lot more when it comes to roster moves and a potential Hughes extension once training camp begins in the coming weeks.
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