Unexpected team could have a major Quinn Hughes advantage if Wild talks stall

The Wild landed Hughes in a blockbuster trade with Vancouver last December, sending Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ohgren and a first round pick the other way.

Nine months later, the star defenseman is still working on a year to year basis, with only one season left before he can hit unrestricted free agency.

Minnesota has said all the right things publicly, but nothing is signed, and that gap is exactly what's caught the eye of The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.

Kurz pointed to the Flyers as a team worth watching if talks in Minnesota keep stalling, and his reasoning centers on a familiar face.

Hughes spent years playing under current Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet in Vancouver, and by all accounts the two built a strong bond during that stretch.

Tocchet has been open about how much he valued coaching Hughes, and Kurz believes that relationship alone gives Philadelphia a real angle if this drags into the offseason.

Hughes only has one year left on his current contract, and if September comes and goes without an extension, the pressure in Minnesota only builds.

Philadelphia has been in this conversation before.

The Flyers reportedly checked in on Hughes last season, only to be told Vancouver had no interest in moving him at the time.

That interest clearly hasn't gone anywhere.

For now it's speculation built on a stalled negotiation and an old coaching bond, but in a league where relationships often decide where stars end up, that combination is worth watching closely as training camps open across the NHL this month.

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