NY Islanders Will Keep Close Eye on Wild Negotiations With Quinn Hughes

Contract talks between the Minnesota Wild and Quinn Hughes will have major impact on New York Islanders.

Jan 10, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) skates by the check of New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) in the second period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As the New York Islanders prepare to start training camp in a few weeks, there is a major NHL story brewing that they are keeping a close eye on.

The Minnesota Wild are holding contract extension talks with their star defenseman, Quinn Hughes. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required), rumors about the team engaging in trade talks with the New Jersey Devils to unite him with his brothers, Jack and Luke Hughes, have been shot down.

Right now, the team is engaged with their star’s agent, Pat Brisson, discussing different contract offers. Ideas are being exchanged about term, annual value and structure. The Wild are confident a deal can get done before the regular season gets started.

That would be ideal to have one less distraction in camp and throughout the season. And those negotiations are something the Islanders are paying close attention to and will be impacted greatly by.

Quinn Hughes contract will greatlt impact Matthew Schaefer

Apr 4, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer (48) looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That is because they have their own star defenseman, Matthew Schaefer, who is going to be eligible for an extension next summer. With the current landscape of the NHL, that extension is going to cost New York a pretty penny.

The defenseman market was reset this summer when Bowen Byram agreed to a six-year, $75 million extension with the Chicago Blackhawks after they acquired him from the Buffalo Sabres ahead of the 2026 NHL Draft.

That $12.5 million annual average is likely the starting point for any extension talks between Schaefer and the Islanders, for now. Because once the details of a Hughes extension are announced, the price tag for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft might go up again.

As Russo detailed, Hughes’ extension with Minnesota could be in the neighborhood of $18.5 million in Year 1 based on projected salary cap numbers.

Quinn Hughes in line for massive contract extension

May 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) prepares to shoot the puck against the Colorado Avalanche in game two of the second round of the 2026 Stanely Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“By the time a Hughes extension kicks in, the cap ceiling is expected to be $113.5 million and is expected to keep rising. Kaprizov got roughly 16.3 percent of this upcoming season’s $104 million ceiling. If Hughes got the same percentage of the expected cap in Year 1 of his deal, that’d be a roughly $18.5 million AAV. If Hughes commands a bigger slice of the cap as one of the NHL’s top defensemen, it could be in the $19 million or $20 million range,” he wrote.

Hughes is earning $8.5 million this upcoming season with a cap hit of $7.85 million. He has averaged nearly a point per game for his career, registering 485 in 507 games played. A two-time All-Star with a Norris Trophy on his shelf, he has a stellar resume through eight NHL seasons.

Schaefer is only entering Year 2, but was a unanimous selection for the Calder Trophy, setting multiple league and franchise records as an 18-year-old rookie. If he takes another step forward during the 2026-27 campaign, he is going to command a top-of-market deal.

Along with Hughes’s contract talks, negotiations between Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche will also be followed by the Islanders. Where those two stars set the new defenseman market will likely be where Schaefer and New York are negotiating numbers.