Michigan Professional Athletes

The Hughes Countdown Begins

Cale Makar just did Quinn Hughes a massive favor — and handed the Minnesota Wild a massive headache.

When Colorado locked up Makar on an 8-year, $163.4 million extension this week — making him the highest-paid player in NHL history and the first NHL skater to eclipse $20 million annually — the ripple effects landed immediately on the Wild's doorstep. Hughes, the Michigan product and one of the game's premier offensive defensemen, is now the most obvious next name in line. Makar's deal doesn't just set a benchmark; it sets a floor.

The Wild find themselves in a complicated spot. Hughes has publicly stated he's open to re-signing in Minnesota, which is about the best leverage a team can hope for. But "open to it" and "signed" are very different things, and with training camps opening in roughly three weeks, the gap between those two outcomes is narrowing fast. Per Bleacher Report, Hughes' future in Minnesota is becoming a genuine question mark — with trade buzz beginning to surface alongside contract talk ahead of the 2026-27 season. The New York Times has also reported on whether Makar's blockbuster will kick-start negotiations, and what those talks might look like for a Wild franchise calculating the long-term cost of retaining a superstar defender.

The math is uncomfortable for Minnesota: if Makar at $20M-plus is the market, Hughes — younger, similarly elite, and coming off a Norris Trophy pedigree — will not be cheap. Whatever the Wild offer, it will need to look less like a bargain and more like a statement.

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Other Wolverines Worth Watching

Quinn Hughes isn't the only Michigan alum generating headlines this week.

Zach Werenski is being talked about as Columbus Blue Jackets captain material. With Boone Jenner's departure to Washington leaving the C vacant, NHL analyst Mike Johnson made the case plainly: Werenski is the call. The Michigan defenseman has grown into one of the Blue Jackets' most important pieces, and an official leadership role would cement that standing heading into next season.

Dylan Larkin earned a spot in the NHL's own ranking of the top 20 centers in the game — a notable endorsement for the Red Wings captain, who remains one of the most complete two-way centers in the league and one of Michigan's marquee NHL exports.

Erik Portillo, the Kings' goaltending prospect, is generating buzz of a different kind. A piece this week flagged his readiness for an NHL opportunity — but with Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg ahead of him on the depth chart, the Michigan netminder faces a genuine roster logjam standing between him and a starting role.

And Rutger McGroarty, Pittsburgh's Michigan-bred winger, landed at No. 4 in PensBurgh's annual Top 25 Under 25 rankings — a slight dip from last year's top spot, reflecting the modest 24-game sample he logged with the Penguins in 2025-26, but still a strong signal of his standing in Pittsburgh's future plans.

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The biggest story out of Michigan's NHL alumni this week, though, begins and ends with Quinn Hughes. Makar signed the richest deal in league history. Now the Wild have to figure out what that means for their own franchise cornerstone — before someone else does it for them.

The Trade That Would Reunite Two Wolverines

Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit. Quinn Hughes is already in Minnesota. The NHL's most compelling offseason drama has a very Michigan feel to it — and it still isn't resolved.

Larkin, the longtime Red Wings captain who played at Michigan before becoming the face of Detroit's rebuild, has formally requested a trade. According to a longtime Red Wings reporter, fresh front-office leadership hasn't changed his mind. Even after Steve Yzerman stepped down as GM, Larkin's preferred destination remains the Minnesota Wild — where fellow Michigan alum Quinn Hughes anchors one of the league's elite blue lines. Detroit, for its part, is holding out for a significant return, keeping the situation at a standstill as training camp approaches.

The potential reunion angle is impossible to ignore. Hughes, who also starred for the Wolverines before launching his NHL career, is coming off a season that cemented his status as one of the game's best defensemen. He was assigned a 95 overall rating in NHL 27, placing him among the top 10 players in the game alongside Sidney Crosby and Cale Makar. Adding Larkin — a proven top-line center and former captain — alongside him in Minnesota would make the Wild genuinely dangerous.

Bleacher Report has already floated three different trade framework ideas to get a Larkin deal done, with the Wild as the centerpiece. None are cheap. Detroit knows what it has, even if Larkin no longer wants to be there.

Larkin's Detroit Future: A Leadership Question

The longer Larkin stays, the messier it gets. One former Stanley Cup winner publicly called for a major change to Larkin's leadership role if he remains with the Red Wings — a sign that his trade request has fractured something in the organization's chemistry, regardless of outcome.

Defenseman Moritz Seider, who would be among those left behind in any Larkin deal, offered a diplomatic non-answer when asked about the offseason chaos. His measured reaction spoke volumes: when your captain wants out and your GM is gone, there's not much to say.

The Rest of the Wolverine NHL Landscape

While Larkin and Hughes dominate the headlines, Michigan's NHL alumni footprint remains vast. Luke Hughes holds down the blue line in New Jersey. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson headline a young Blue Jackets core trying to turn a corner. Owen Power and Josh Norris anchor the Sabres' rebuild in Buffalo. Kyle Connor remains one of the Jets' most reliable forwards. Matty Beniers continues to develop in Seattle.

That's the Michigan program in microcosm: alumni spread across nearly every corner of the league, from contenders to rebuilders, with at least two of them at the center of the NHL's biggest offseason story.

How the Larkin saga ends — whether in a blockbuster trade to Minnesota or an awkward return to Detroit — will shape the trajectory of at least two franchises and write another chapter in one of college hockey's greatest alumni stories.

Three Michigan alumni are dominating NHL offseason chatter this week, and none of the storylines are simple. From a Norris Trophy winner publicly drawing a line in the sand to a captain stuck in trade-request purgatory, the Wolverines' NHL footprint is impossible to ignore.

Werenski Silences the Trade Noise — On His Terms

The loudest voice in the room belongs to Zach Werenski, and he's using it to make one thing clear: Columbus is home.

The Blue Jackets defenseman — and reigning Norris Trophy winner — addressed the media this week for the first time since a chaotic offseason that included a reported trade to Dallas that he vetoed. Werenski didn't apologize for blocking the move. He doubled down.

"This is where I want to be," Werenski said, calling earlier reports about his feelings toward Columbus "misconstrued." He added that he would have "no issues" signing a long-term extension with the Blue Jackets and wants to lead the team to the playoffs.

For a franchise still in rebuild mode, having its best defenseman — arguably one of the best in the league, per NHL Network's top-20 rankings released this week — publicly recommit is no small thing. The trade drama had genuine teeth; Werenski's no-move clause gave him the power, and he used it. That he's now planting a flag in Columbus rather than forcing his way out shifts the narrative entirely.

Michigan's fingerprints are all over the Blue Jackets' future. Werenski and fellow Wolverines Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson give Columbus a Michigan pipeline that could anchor the franchise for years.

Connor Enters 2026-27 Among the NHL's Elite

If Werenski is the week's biggest story, Kyle Connor is its quietest validation.

NHL Network ranked the Jets winger No. 11 among all NHL wingers heading into 2026-27 — a reflection of a 92-point season and what the outlet described as five consecutive campaigns of "relentless goal-scoring dominance." Connor also locked in a massive contract extension, cementing his place as Winnipeg's offensive cornerstone.

A top-11 ranking in a league this deep isn't a participation trophy. It's a signal that Connor has graduated from "good player on a good team" to a genuine top-tier threat. For Michigan fans, he's the quiet superstar of the alumni roster — no drama, just production.

Larkin's Detroit Future Remains a Question Mark

The most unresolved storyline is Dylan Larkin's. The Red Wings captain submitted a trade request, but former Detroit defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo — now a TSN insider — publicly raised the possibility this week that Larkin may simply have to start the 2026-27 season in Detroit if a deal doesn't materialize.

It's a complicated situation. Larkin is under contract, Detroit holds the leverage, and the trade market for a captain-level center doesn't move on anyone's preferred timeline. Colaiacovo's comments suggest the industry isn't expecting a resolution before opening night — which would put Larkin in the awkward position of suiting up for a team he's asked to leave.

For Michigan alumni watching closely, it's a stark contrast to Werenski's week. One Wolverine found clarity; another is still waiting for it.

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Between Werenski's recommitment, Connor's elite ranking, and Larkin's limbo, Michigan's NHL alumni are generating more offseason column inches than most entire fanbases. The 2026-27 season can't come soon enough.

Quinn Hughes Is Carrying the Wild on His Skates

No Michigan alum — and arguably no player in the entire NHL — is doing more right now than Quinn Hughes.

The defenseman has logged more ice time than anyone in the league since joining the Minnesota Wild, a workload that would be remarkable for any player but feels almost absurd for someone quietly redefining what a modern blue-liner can do. The Wild, a franchise that has spent years flirting with playoff relevance without fully committing, now finds itself in genuine contention — and the clearest line between those two outcomes runs directly through Hughes.

Hughes has become the engine of Minnesota's entire game, controlling play in all three zones and eating minutes that most coaches wouldn't dare hand to a single defender. His combination of mobility, puck-handling, and read of the game has made him the rare NHL player who can swing a franchise's trajectory on his own. The Wild aren't a playoff team despite Hughes's usage — they're a playoff contender because of it.

He's not just logging minutes for the sake of it, either. Every shift has an impact. Minnesota's possession numbers, zone entries, and transition game all improve measurably when Hughes is on the ice. For a Michigan program that has consistently produced elite defensive talent — Luke Hughes in New Jersey, Owen Power in Buffalo, Cameron York in Philadelphia — Quinn stands as the clearest argument that Ann Arbor remains the foremost factory for NHL defensemen in the country.

The Rest of Michigan's NHL Alumni

Hughes commands the spotlight, but Michigan's NHL footprint in this period remains impressively wide. The Wolverines have alumni on rosters from coast to coast: Kyle Connor continues his veteran presence in Winnipeg, Dylan Larkin anchors Detroit's top line, and Adam Fantilli is building his case in Columbus as one of the league's most intriguing young forwards.

Luke Hughes in New Jersey and Owen Power in Buffalo represent the next wave of Michigan-bred blue-liners, both carving out meaningful roles on rebuilding franchises with long-term upside. Matty Beniers remains a cornerstone for Seattle, while Kent Johnson gives Columbus a second Michigan-pedigreed center alongside Fantilli — a pairing that could define that franchise for years.

The sheer volume of Wolverines active across the league — from Zach Hyman in Edmonton to Jacob Trouba in San Jose to Josh Norris in Buffalo — makes Michigan's alumni corps one of the most broadly distributed in the NHL. But this week, all roads lead back to Minnesota.

Quinn Hughes isn't just Michigan's best active NHL player. Right now, he might be the best player in the league, period.