Quinn Hughes open to contract extension with Wild: “I really like it here.”

When Wild general manager Bill Guerin pulled the trigger on the blockbuster deal that brought Quinn Hughes to Minnesota last December, the star defenseman’s long-term future with the Wild was an immediate topic of conversation.

Maybe not as much as how much Hughes might help the Wild win a Stanley Cup, but a conspicuous issue. Guerin sent three regular players and a first-round draft pick to Vancouver, and it was fair to wonder if Hughes was a two-year rental.

On Friday, Hughes, signed through next season, made it clear he’s interested in a contract extension.

“I really like it here. I would definitely be open to re-signing,” Hughes said Friday as players cleaned out their lockers at Grand Casino Arena. “I mean, we’ll see what Billy wants to do. Again, we’re not even 36 hours removed (from being eliminated), so it’s a tough loss. But I would definitely be, you know, open to re-signing here.”

Hughes was an immediate sensation in hockey-made Minnesota. He re-wrote the franchise record book for defensemen in just five months on the ice, and became half of one of the NHL’s best top-pair defensemen with Brock Faber. In 11 postseason games, Hughes tied with Kirill Kaprizov for the team points lead with 15 (four goals, 11 assists), and he and Faber were each a plus-10.

Hughes can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027, but until then, the Wild hold exclusive rights to re-sign him.

His two younger brothers, Jack and Luke, play for the New Jersey Devils. Much like the Foligno Brothers, Marcus and Nick, finally got an on-ice reunion in Minnesota this season, there is a notion that all three Hughes boys want to wear matching sweaters at some point.

On Friday, the eldest of those brothers reflected back on his arrival with the Wild, the standing ovation he got from fans in St. Paul the first time he touched the ice for warmups, and the overall good feeling he got from his first few months as a member of the team. Still, he declined to offer details on what all might factor into the eventual decision, saying he was looking forward to getting back to Michigan, where the Hughes family is based, and talking to his parents, his brothers and his agent.