The Wild Just LEAKED Their Master Plan...

The Wild are 10-3-3 and first in the Central, and the guy holding them together is on a $7.85 million contract that expires in 8 months. And the latest report is that the Wilds are willing to pay him the maximum, and let him pick how long. And I need you to hear me clearly say this. This is exactly what has to happen and exactly what I want to see. Now, first, let's be careful because this one was officially reported, but not officially announced. The Athletic reported in September that the Wild were willing to offer Hughes the maximum term at an average salary of above Cale McCarr's $20.4 million. And listen how Guerin's own owner talks about it. Craig Leopold said in July, The Wild want to go as long as they can. Then on October 29th, Elliott Friedman says his opinion is that The Wild will tell him or already have, we'll do the max, you tell us the term. And the max this season is $20.8 million, dollars of 20% of a $104 million cap. Is it signed? No, not yet. On October 28th, Bill Guerin said, I have not talked to them about this in a long So nobody has signed just yet, but if the report that we're seeing and hearing is true, the Wilds are about to hand him the keys, and you should want them to. Because of what he's doing right now. Quinn Hughes is playing 27 minutes and 44 seconds a night. That is first on the wild. And the next defenseman is Jonas Brodine. Who's playing 21 minutes and 57 seconds a night. Against the Islanders on Thursday. He played 33 minutes and 41 seconds. And that's a career high for him. And he's producing for all of it. 21 points in 16 games this season. 5 goals, 16 assists. And 16 of those assists are leading this team. He's not only playing a lot, he had 20 points in the first 15 games, and that's third 20 point month, and only 8 other defensemen in NHL history have had 3 or more. He has points in 5 straight games, 3 goals and 5 assists in that run. And here's why that matters, Jared Spurgeon is on the injury reserve, Brock Faber is still not back from him being on the IR, and also Phillip Gustafson is still out long term on the injury reserve. Take two of your top defensemen, a starting caliber goalie, out of the lineup. The Wilds are still first in the central, and Quinn Hughes is a big reason why. Yes, Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 25 points, but Quinn Hughes is four points behind the biggest goal scorer in hockey. And that's before you look at everything else going on in Minnesota, because this month is not a quiet month. And for one, the goalie, Philip Gostasen, is still out after hip surgery. And John Hines said on October 18th, I don't think it's going to be less than a month. So with Jesper Walsh dead in net and in 14 games, he has nine wins, a 9-20 save percentage, and a 2.06 goals against average. He has been incredible. And the other side of the lineup is hurt too. Once again, Brock Faber, $8.5 million defenseman, had skull surgery. He remains out, as well as Jared Spurgeon has been out. For at least four weeks, what it's going to look like. And Quinn Hughes keeps saying he's excited for when Brock Faber comes back. Meanwhile, Kirill Kaprizov has 15 goals in 16 games, most in the NHL. And on November 1st, he hit 500 career points. So the Wilds have a superstar scorer, a young goalie who's putting himself into the number one conversation and a roster full of injuries. The Wilds play five games in the next 10 days. Next one is Tuesday in Philadelphia. Every night that Hughes plays 30 minutes is another night the Wilds stay in first. Every night is a reminder of what the Wilds would be without. Quinn Hughes, out of that lineup, is a different team entirely, and that's why it matters that nobody has to wait on this. And if that made it click for you, be sure to hit the subscribe button. You guys have been killing it as of late. I really appreciate all of your support, and I want to get to 6,000 subscribers. And the one thing that's holding this all together is the guy who can leave in July. If you pay him $20.4 million or more, he'd be the highest paid defenseman And it's by a mile if you take out Kale McCarr. Let's do the math on what the max could possibly be. $20.8 million times 7 years is $145.6 million. It's a big number. It's a huge number, honestly. And while they're not just paying for a name, they're paying for a guy who is playing nearly 30 minutes a night. And the next highest on the list behind Kale McCarr is Bowen Byron. $12.5 million. Thank you. Hughes at the max would be about $8 million above that. It sounds crazy until you look at the Wilds books. Next season the cap is projected at $113.5 million. The Wild already have $67.5 million committed, put Hughes in at $20.8 million, and they still have about $25 million left over. Kaprizov is at $17 million through 2033-34, Brock Faber is at $8.5 through 2032-33, those two are locked up. And think about it this way, a max contract only hurts if the player is not the best player Here's what's next. His partner is on the IR with, and he is arguably the best defenseman in the NHL. The money is not the problem. The cap is built for this type of thing to happen. The only thing left is how long. And this is the part that changed, because the Minnesota Wilds most they can offer is now seven years, and it used to be eight only a couple of weeks ago. Hughes didn't sign before that deadline, so that eighth year is gone. Owner Craig Leopold said in July the Wild want to do as long as they can but Hughes will probably want a little bit shorter. Joe Smith has reported a three-year deal is the likely one and Michael Russo also says that three years makes the most sense to line up with his brother Jack's Devil's Deal. Here's the thing about seven years. At seven years Hughes is locked in through the end of the decade and then some and the Wild get to build around him and Kaprizov whose deals run through through 2033-34. At 3 years he's back on the market the same age as his brother and with the cap even higher the wild get to do this whole thing again. And if he does choose to pick 3 years, you still say yes because 3 years of Hughes at the max beats 1 year and then a goodbye, that's the fight, the wild won in verse 7, his side may want 3 or close to that number and you pick the term, ends the fight before you start it. Because if you quit Hughes what's your counter offer? They gave you the money and the control. The only thing left is to say yes. And here's what scares me is that Quinn Hughes can walk. His deal runs out July 1st, 2027, and that's only 242 days from today. And the fact that no one is saying a deal is close. Back in September, the Athletic reported that neither side was close to getting a deal done. And Elliot Freeman said on October 2nd that he'd be concerned for the Minnesota Wild if the season started and Hughes hadn't signed. The season has officially started. There's an even bigger piece of where the devil's come up because his brother Jack is playing there, Luke is playing there, now Connor Hellebuck, and that's the nightmare version of this story for me. But there's a reason I'm not panicking fully, because in September, Quinn Hughes said, I have so much trust in Bill Guerin, he's a great GM. And he said he doesn't feel stressed to get something done before the season. That's not to say something won't be done. That's not coming from a guy who's looking for the door. It comes from someone who is really just waiting for the right opportunity. So let me say this again. Reports of the wild are willing to pay the max and give him the choice of whatever term he wants. If those reports are right, there's nothing left to negotiate. And if they're wrong, then the wild need to make them right today. And the right offer is the one that's reported, which is the max and his term. Now, think about what the Wilds already paid for him. I mean, on December 12th, they sent Marco Rossi, Zeef Boyum, Liam Ogren, and a first-round pick to Vancouver. And if he walks in July 2027, that whole trade was a rental for a year and a half of a defenseman for three star players in the first. Because remember where this team was. The day of the trade, Vancouver was 11, 17, and 3. Minnesota was 17, 9, and 5. And he was at 23 points in 26 games. They went and got the best defenseman in the world. They don't have to give up anything else at this point. All they have to do is sign the check. Here's what I want. I'll say it to him directly. Quinn, they're telling you the number is yours. The term is yours. Take it and stay. Because the best team in the West is 10-3-3 with half of its defensemen hurt. And imagine what it's like playing with them healthy with him signed for seven years. It's exactly what has to happen, and I will not be okay with anything less. And one last thing. Who do you think matters more to the Wilds winning a cup? Is it Hughes or Kaprizov, or is it really a mix of both? And I think it's a mix of not even just both, everybody on this team. Let me know in the comments below.