Hughes' extension, Zuccarello's future headline biggest Wild offseason questions

The Wild ran into an Avalanche of talent on Wednesday night in Colorado. It's clear they ran into a better team, but blowing a 3-1 lead with just over four minutes remaining in Game 5 sets the stage for an interesting offseason. Here are the biggest questions.

Quinn Hughes' extension

Wild general manager (GM) Bill Guerin pulled off a true blockbuster trade last December to acquire Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren, defenseman Zeev Buium, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

Hughes performed like one of the best defensemen in 48 regular-season games and 11 playoff games with Minnesota. The question now becomes whether or not they can sign him to a long-term contract extension. At 28 years old, the 2026-27 season is the final year on his current contract before he's a free agent in the 2027 offseason.

Minnesota just made Kirill Kaprizov the highest-paid player in the NHL, and a long-term extension for Hughes will not come cheaply. Guerin and the Wild front office need to do everything they can to avoid a disaster and get a deal done with Hughes as soon as possible.

Mats Zuccarello highlights impending free agents

Zuccarello is one of four big-time unrestricted free agents for Minnesota this offseason. At 38 years old, he showed that he still has plenty left in the tank with 54 points (13 goals and 39 assists). He will first need to decide if he wants to come back for a 17th season in the NHL, and then whether or not that will be in Minnesota.

Vladimir Tarasenko, Marcus Johansson, Nick Foligno, and Michael McCarron are the other veterans who are free to sign anywhere in the NHL this offseason.

Minnesota's defensive core is set to return, while veterans Zach Bogosian and Jeff Petry are unrestricted free agents.

According to PuckPedia, the Wild are projected to have around $13.5 million in cap space. It's a good bet that Minnesota will have enough money to make an impactful move or two in free agency this summer.

Goalie situation

Six-year veteran Filip Gustavsson played 50 games in the regular season, compared to third-year goalie Jesper Wallstedt, who played just 35. Those numbers switched in the postseason, and Wallstedt played 10 of 11 games between the pipes.

Gustavsson still has four years at $6.8 million annually left on his contract, while Wallstedt is entering the final season of his rookie deal before becoming a restricted free agent in 2027.

Minnesota clearly has two capable goalies, and both are younger than 28 years old. Wallstedt objectively struggled against the Avalanche compared to his performance against the Stars, so it will be interesting to see how the team handles the situation going forward.

Remember, Wallstedt could be used as a significant trade chip if Guerin wants to get aggressive this summer.

John Hynes' future

The 2025-26 season was Hynes' third as the head coach of the Wild. He has improved the regular-season win total every year, and they went from missing the playoffs in his first season to a first-round exit last year, and a trip to the second round this year. That trend makes it seem like he certainly deserves to come back for another season.

Guerin is an aggressive decision-maker, and he knows what it takes to build a championship contender. Hynes was his pick three years ago, and there's no indication that he's ready to pull the plug on him when their Stanley Cup window is wide open.