Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes became eligible to sign a contract extension back on July 1st.  While a long-term agreement seemed unlikely, there was an expectation that a short-term pact could be worked out, perhaps lining his next contract timeline up with his brother Jack Hughes.  However, nothing has been done just yet.  In a recent appearance on SKOR North (video link), GM Bill Guerin provided a brief note on the state of discussions:

“I’ve been talking to Quinn and his camp all along. Like I said last year with Kirill, these things take time. They’re big decisions for players. They’re big decisions for teams. So, it’s a process to work through it and this is no different than any other big contract negotiation.

The Kirill Kaprizov negotiations that Guerin referenced certainly took a lot of time.  After some stops and starts when progress was made but then stagnated, a deal that briefly made him the highest-paid player in NHL history was completed at the end of September.  Depending on the timing of when a potential Hughes contract gets announced, the Wild could be making him the highest-paid defender in league history.  With that in mind, it’s not entirely surprising that things aren’t moving particularly quickly on that front.

More from the Central:

• Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar is extension-eligible now that he’s in the final year of his contract. Evan Rawal of The Denver Gazette wonders if this could be a situation where he and Hughes are waiting each other out to see who signs first and then benchmark from there.  Makar, a Norris finalist for the last six years, is coming off his fifth straight year of averaging over a point per game, leading some to wonder if his next AAV could push toward the $20MM mark thanks to some of the other pricey deals handed out this summer.
• With some big money being handed out to promising young players this summer, Jeremy Rutherford and Shayna Goldman of The Athletic recently examined (subscription link) what an early extension for Blues winger Jimmy Snuggerud might cost. The 22-year-old had a strong rookie year with 21 goals and 30 assists in 71 games, earning a spot on the All-Rookie team for his efforts.  While St. Louis will undoubtedly want to get a long-term deal in place, it’s possible that Snuggerud follows the recent trend of signing a contract that gets him to unrestricted free agency while still in his prime.