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Trade Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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The trade deadline looms and is now less than two weeks away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Minnesota Wild.

After yet another first-round exit during the 2021-22 NHL playoffs, the Minnesota Wild are poised to return this season. Unfortunately, their Stanley Cup hopes have ended quite early, having failed to reach the second round since the 2014-15 season and failing to reach the Conference Finals since 2002-03. Although a deep run in the playoffs has eluded the Wild for many years, they finally have produced a young, homegrown NHL superstar to build around. The Russian-born Kirill Kaprizov cracked the 100-point plateau during his age-24 season last year and is projected to fall near it once again.

Under GM Bill Guerin, Minnesota didn’t make a significant acquisition at the deadline until last season. Adding legendary goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from the division-rival Chicago Blackhawks and shoring up the back-end with the trade for Jacob Middleton from the San Jose Sharks. However, the elephant in the room is the dead cap left behind in the wake of buying out forward Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter. This season, those players have accounted for $12.7MM in dead cap space for the Wild, and it will increase to $14.7MM for the 2023-24, and 2024-25 NHL seasons. With this in mind, it is safe to assume the Wild will be looking at short-term additions to the lineup this trade deadline season as they are once again looking to make a run in the playoffs.

Record

31-21-5, 4th in Central

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$10.04MM in full-season cap space today, $11.95MM at the deadline, 1/3 retention slots used, 44/50 contracts used, per CapFriendly.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2023: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

2024: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

Trade Chips

After an incredible 50-point season in 2017-18, it was no surprise the Wild opted to extend defenseman Mathew Dumba with a five-year, $30MM contract. Unfortunately for both he and the team Dumba hasn’t quite regained form from that year. Failing to score more than 30 points in a season since, Dumba and the Wild appear headed toward a split. Nearly every season since that contract was signed, Dumba has found his name in the trade rumors.

After being healthy-scratched twice this season, the Wild could look to recoup some assets instead of losing to Dumba in free agency. It is hard to imagine Dumba being at the top of any team’s trade list this season, but for those teams that are in on Erik Karlsson, he might come as a consolation prize as a right-handed shooting defenseman.

If the Wild are going to look past rental options, and try to squeeze a player into their long-term approach, one of the more interesting prospects in their system is Carson Lambos. A second-round draft pick of the Wild during the 2021 NHL Draft, Lambos has scored 43 points in 46 games for the Winnipeg Ice in the Western Hockey League this season. Although many teams would highly regard a player like Lambos, he could become an attractive trade chip for the Wild.

Currently, the Wild have four defensemen on their roster signed beyond next season. Calen Addison has had an impressive 27 points in his first full NHL campaign, so it is safe to assume the Wild will look to resign him this summer. As Lambos’ time in the WHL comes to a close, the Wild may be unable to give him the minutes a player of his caliber might otherwise receive.

An off-the-radar trade piece the Wild have at their disposal is goalie Filip Gustavsson. After acquiring Gustavsson from the Ottawa Senators, Gustavsson has impressed with a 15-8 record and a .928 SV% splitting time between the pipes with Fleury. As young goalie Jesper Wallstedt continues to improve with Minnesota’s AHL affiliate Iowa Wild, Minnesota must decide how he fits into their future. Because of Fleury’s age when he signed his most recent contract with the Wild, he will be incredibly challenging to move given his 35+ NMC included in his contract. As the cap crunch continues next year for Minnesota, they simply may not be able to afford what Gustavsson will want on his next contract.

Other Potential Trade Chips: Dakota Mermis (D), Brandon Duhaime (F), Danila Yurov (F)

Team Needs

1)  Top-Six Winger: After placing fifth in GF/G with 3.72 during the 2021-22 NHL season, the Wild have dropped to 25th in the same category this year. Because of the dead cap space from recent buyouts, the Wild have a Kevin Fiala-sized hole in the lineup this season. As the defense has continued to be a strength, and the goaltending has rebounded from a lousy start to the year, it has become imperative that the Wild add a goal-scoring forward at the deadline to continue their hopes of a long playoff run.

Two of the most obvious choices are off the board in Vladimir Tarasenko and Bo Horvat, so the crop to choose from has become smaller for the Wild. If Minnesota looks at rentals, there are still a couple of goal-scorers on the market. Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk comes to mind as an obvious fit for Minnesota. He would add to their crop of large and imposing forwards who excel at putting the puck in the net. Due to their recent trade activity at last year’s deadline, it would not be a shock to see the Wild engaged with the Blackhawks on their upcoming UFA Patrick Kane. Although Kane must approve of his new destination, his goal-scoring capabilities are ideal for the Wild. Aside from rentals, if they can make room in their near-to-long-term plans, Brock Boeser is an interesting player to consider as well. A native Minnesotan, Boeser has shown incredible flurries of goal-scoring in his career, and currently finds himself on a rebuilding team in the Vancouver Canucks.

2) Long-Term Cap Flexibility: Acknowledged as a bold move at the time, the buyouts of Parise and Suter still loom large over the brass of the Minnesota Wild. Accounting for just over 15% of the Wild’s overall cap space, this dead cap has prohibited the Wild from adding more talent around young superstar Kaprizov. This problem will persist until after the 2024-25 season when the dead money drops considerably. The Wild will have to get extremely creative over the next several seasons to retain some of their up-and-coming players. Having already locked up core pieces such as captain Jared Spurgeon, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, as well as Kaprizov, the Wild and GM Guerin are up to the task of adding more talent around this group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jonas Brodin To Miss Next Few Games For Wild

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Johnny Hockey has missed the past two games for Columbus, a 4-1 win over Dallas and a 3-2 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes, but is set to return as the Jackets host the Minnesota Wild, according to Bailey Johnson of the Columbus Dispatch. He will add a boost to a team that has four wins in its past 10.

  • Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin is also headed to injured reserve with a lower-body injury, according to the Wild’s PR account. The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported Brodin sustained the injury Feb. 6 against Arizona, and had played six games since. The Wild can ill afford to lose a player of impact such as Brodin, as Minnesota looks to make a deep playoff run.

Minnesota Wild Recall Dakota Mermis

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The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman Dakota Mermis from the AHL’s Iowa Wild under emergency conditions, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.

While the Wild appear to have seven healthy defensemen on the roster, The Athletic’s Michael Russo and Joe Smith report that Mermis’ emergency recall comes in anticipation of injury or illness-related absences. Smith notes that an unnamed defender was banged up in last night’s win against the Los Angeles Kings and that Jonas Brodin isn’t in full health. Brodin’s missed time with a lower-body injury on two separate occasions this season.

Mermis, 29, is a versatile defenseman in his third season with the Wild organization. Stationed on taxi squad duty in his first year, 2020-21, he’s since put up eight goals and 40 assists in 105 AHL games with the Iowa Wild, maintaining his status as one of their top defenders.

He made two appearances with the Wild last season, going without a point. If he does appear in a Wild uniform on this call-up, it will be his first appearance of 2022-23.

Brock Boeser's Agent Cleared To Discuss Trade With Wild

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Few fits between player and team in the NHL are more evident than Brock Boeser and the Minnesota Wild. As the Vancouver Canucks still look to remain active on the trade market and the Wild debate whether or not to make a deadline-day splash, the door to a union between Boeser and his home team remains open.

Boeser’s agent, Ben Hankinson, threw fuel on the rumor fire on a Wednesday edition of The Athletic Hockey Show. Hankinson said Vancouver had permitted him to contact Wild general manager Bill Guerin directly about making a trade work, and “they’re trying to move some things around, potentially,” to make the acquisition happen. The Wild are certainly a fringe playoff team, battling it out with teams like the Calgary Flames for wild card positions in the West, but there’s an obvious Kevin Fiala-sized hole in the team’s top six that Boeser could help fill. Salary considerations remain a concern, though, as Hankinson notes. Boeser’s $6.65MM cap hit through 2025 could be tough to swallow as the full effects of the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise buyouts kick in over the coming seasons.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Ryan O’Reilly In Three-Team Trade

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The Toronto Maple Leafs, St. Louis Blues, and Minnesota Wild have completed a three-team, blockbuster trade.

In the deal, Toronto has acquired St. Louis’ captain, Ryan O’Reilly, veteran forward Noel Acciari, and prospect Josh Pillar. St. Louis has received Mikhail Abramov, Adam Gaudette, Toronto’s 2023 first-round pick, Ottawa’s 2023 third-round pick, and Toronto’s 2024 second-round pick. Minnesota received Toronto’s fourth-round pick in 2025.

As part of the deal, St. Louis will retain 50% of O’Reilly’s salary, while Minnesota will retain 25% of the cap hit. Both O’Reilly and Acciari are set to hit unrestricted free agency at year’s end.

It goes without saying that this is an extremely significant trade, and one that represents a major push from Toronto to try to finally get the franchise past the first round of the NHL playoffs. The Maple Leafs will, in all likelihood, once again be playing the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, assuming there are no major changes in the standings.

The Lightning have won the Eastern Conference for three straight seasons, so for Toronto to really gear itself up for that expected first-round matchup, they would need to increase their firepower from their already talent-rich position.

Now, after this trade, Toronto boasts Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and O’Reilly as the team’s top-three centers. Most would be hard-pressed to find another team in the NHL that can boast such a strong trio of pivots.

It’s true that O’Reilly’s offense is down from the rate he normally scores at.

He’s got just 12 goals and 19 points in 40 games this season, which is just two points more than current Maple Leafs third-line center David Kampf.

But O’Reilly isn’t being acquired for what he’ll bring to Toronto’s scoring attack, they already score goals in bunches.

He’s been acquired by the Maple Leafs because he brings exactly what many have felt Toronto has lacked in recent years in their biggest moments: competitive fire, the ability to rise to the occasion, and a willingness to rally in the face of challenges in order to get a job done.

O’Reilly’s exploits in the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup championship run cemented his status as a beloved St. Louis Blue. O’Reilly captured the Conn Smythe Trophy scoring 23 points in 26 games, as well as playing absolutely stellar defense that often left the line he was matched up against suffocated and unable to build offensive momentum. Overall, he has 56 points in his 64-game playoff career, a higher career playoff point-per-game scoring rate than Matthews, Tavares, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander, despite the fact that those players are normally considered to be in a different stratosphere of offensive talent.

With O’Reilly in tow, head coach Sheldon Keefe will be able to build a shutdown line that he can match with the deadliest scoring lines he faces in the playoffs. While the Maple Leafs have had competent defensive centers in the past, none boast the type of resume O’Reilly has built, especially in the unique environment of the playoffs. With forwards who are strong in their own end such as Kampf, Acciari, or even Zach Aston-Reese, Keefe could be able to complement his two deadly scoring lines with a premier shutdown line as well, boasting the kind of three-line mix that could handle any in-game situation.

O’Reilly is also a highly-regarded leader and someone whose locker room presence has played a major role in a Stanley Cup victory and in last season’s playoffs, where O’Reilly’s Blues were one of the few teams who truly gave the eventual champions, the Colorado Avalanche, a run for their money.

There are some who would rather the Maple Leafs spent these assets on a forward with some more points than O’Reilly has scored this season. But when looking at the problems that have plagued Toronto in prior years, it’s hard to say there is anyone available on the trade market who would be better fit than O’Reilly.

Beyond just O’Reilly, Toronto has also acquired Acciari, a well-respected, versatile bottom-six forward. The 31-year-old has scored 10 goals and 18 points this season, and can play both center and on the wings. While he doesn’t bring the scoring pedigree or star value that comes with O’Reilly, Acciari has 54 games of playoff experience and has been to a Stanley Cup final. He’ll undoubtedly be an upgrade for Toronto’s bottom six and helps with their overall goal of adding character players with playoff experience.

They also acquire prospect Josh Pillar, who currently plays for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. He’s a 21-year-old winger who was a fourth-rounder of the Wild at the 2021 draft. He’s scored decently well in the WHL and just returned from injury. He plays a polished game but his ultimate professional upside remains unclear. Per CapFriendly, the Maple Leafs will have exclusive rights to sign Pillar to his entry-level deal until June 1st.

From St. Louis’ point-of-view, this deal might be a tough pill to swallow but it’s ultimately a positive move for the team. It’s never ideal for any team to lose its captain and especially so if that player was a crucial part of the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship. But looking at this trade with the emotion of losing O’Reilly aside, this is a deal that should leave Blues fans satisfied.

Firstly, they landed another top draft pick for this upcoming NHL draft, adding another premier selection in a class that has drawn rave reviews from scouts.  In addition, the reality of the Blues’ season and O’Reilly’s contract status makes this a trade that the Blues simply had to make. The team has spent significant dollars locking up Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas recently, and sinking significant cap space into O’Reilly for the rest of what is shaping up to be a lost season (and a few years beyond) simply wouldn’t make sense, especially at the opportunity cost of adding the sort of draft pick haul they received.

If adding Acciari helped GM Doug Armstrong coax the best possible package of picks from the Maple Leafs in this deal, then that’s fine. Acciari likely could have been traded on his own, but adding him into this deal is a reasonable choice if it helped the Blues add that 2024 second-rounder.

In addition to the bounty of draft choices they received, the Blues also got Abramov, who is a 21-year-old 2019 fourth-rounder. He has scored 16 points in 34 AHL games this year and is someone for the team to plug into their AHL affiliate in Springfield to see what their development staff can do with his offensive skill.

They also received the 2017-18 Hobey Baker award winner, Gaudette, who has been a top scorer for the Toronto Marlies this season. With 34 points in 40 AHL games, he could either serve as an experienced depth NHLer to help fill a spot on St. Louis’ roster (he does have experience playing center) or could help Springfield.

For Minnesota, this is a tidy, if a relatively insignificant bit of business for the team. Their trade of Pillar indicates that they likely were going to let his rights lapse in the summer anyway, so for their relatively minor retention on O’Reilly, they net a mid-round draft pick. While much as been made of the Wild’s precarious cap position, they do actually have some room to maneuver this year. Turning some of that vacant space into a mid-round draft pick is nothing to complain about.

Overall, this is a trade that has the potential to serve as a significant moment for both the Maple Leafs and Blues franchises. For Toronto, they add a player whose resume seems almost perfectly tailored to address the problems that have ailed them in the playoff runs of the past. For St. Louis, they turn an expiring asset into a multitude of draft picks that could allow them to quickly move on from this disappointing campaign.

If the Maple Leafs don’t end up winning the Stanley Cup or even getting out of the first round, it will be easy to look back at this deal and criticize their management for paying so many draft picks for rental players.

But ultimately, this trade is simply a team hungry for some playoff success adding one of the most accomplished playoff performers on the market. Even if it doesn’t end up working out as the involved teams hope, this is a difficult deal to criticize.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild Recall Adam Beckman

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The Minnesota Wild, looking for a spark after losing five of six, have recalled Adam Beckman from the minor leagues. The move comes just ahead of a game against the division-leading Dallas Stars, a critical matchup if the Wild want to stay in the Central Division chase.

Beckman, 21, has played in six games this season for Minnesota and nine overall, but is still looking for his first NHL goal. It hasn’t been nearly as difficult in the minor leagues, where he has 18 tallies through 43 games so far. The third-round pick has always been a scoring threat, going back to his post-draft year when he put up 48 goals in 63 games with the Spokane Chiefs.

Hopefully, he can bring some of that magic with him to the NHL this time around. Minnesota has scored just ten times in that six-game stretch and sit 25th overall in goals for. For a team that still has its sights set on the playoffs, that just simply hasn’t been good enough. Beckman isn’t going to change the entire offense of the Wild immediately, but he’ll get a chance to establish himself as they try to turn things around.

Injury Notes: Pageau, Tinordi, Faber

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The New York Islanders are without one of their best depth pieces tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Jean-Gabriel Pageau is out for tonight’s game against his former team with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day, per the team.

Pageau sustained the injury at practice yesterday, says Stefen Rosner of NYI Hockey Now. Reportedly, Pageau was “clipped” during a drill and was slow to get up, yet stayed on the ice for the remainder of practice. The 30-year-old center has 10 goals and 29 points in 56 games this season. This is his first absence of the 2022-23 campaign.

  • Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi is out for the remainder of tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury, the team said. The Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope notes that Tinordi had fallen awkwardly on a shift in the first period. Tinordi, 30, was claimed on waivers by the Blackhawks at the beginning of the season and has suited up in 26 games, recording five points.
  • One of the best prospects in hockey on one of the best teams in college hockey is out long-term. The Athletic’s Michael Russo agreed with reports today that Minnesota Wild defense prospect and University of Minnesota captain Brock Faber is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Acquired from the Los Angeles Kings in the Kevin Fiala trade, Faber has 20 points in 30 games with Minnesota this year after representing the United States at the Olympics and World Junior Championships last season.

More Teams Showing Interest In Patrick Kane

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With Vladimir Tarasenko now off the market following his trade earlier this week, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane is starting to generate more attention.  Earlier this week, he was linked to the Stars and the Rangers (with New York likely out of the picture now following the Tarasenko deal).  Three more teams have been added to that mix as Scott Powers and Mark Lazerus of The Athletic report (subscription link) that the Hurricanes, Wild, and Golden Knights have confirmed interest in the veteran.

Of course, it must also be noted that Kane might not necessarily have interest in any of those teams.  The 34-year-old has a full no-move clause in his deal and if he decides that he’s willing to waive it, it’s expected that the shortlist of options he’d provide Chicago with would be quite small, not unlike what happened with Claude Giroux last season when he okayed a trade from Philadelphia.

Carolina, Minnesota, and Vegas all have a fair amount of cap space which presents an opportunity where they might not need a third team to be involved to retain an extra 25% of the $10.5MM contract, assuming Chicago retains 50% as expected.  For the Hurricanes, Max Pacioretty’s season-ending Achilles injury opened up $7MM in LTIR room while the Golden Knights have plenty of room (at least for the time being) with Mark Stone and his $9.5MM eligible for LTIR; he hasn’t been placed there just yet.  Meanwhile, Minnesota has banked enough cap space (per CapFriendly) that they could absorb Kane’s contract outright.

What’s notable about these suitors – including Dallas from earlier – is that all of them project to be short-term options only for Kane.  With their existing commitments for next season, there’s basically no way they could afford the 16-year veteran at market value.  Would Kane want to go somewhere as a strict rental and then hit the open market in July or might his preference be to land with a team that has the intention to keep him for 2023-24 and beyond?  That will certainly be a question he ponders over the next couple of weeks before notifying Chicago of his intentions.

Minnesota Wild Linked To James Van Riemsdyk

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  • Another name that was brought up as being on the market is that of veteran Philadelphia Flyers forward James van Riemsdyk. The 33-year-old has scored a healthy 21 points in 34 games this season, and would in all likelihood give a team additional scoring help at a lower cost than some of the other forward options on the market, such as Meier or Bertuzzi. Marek linked van Riemsdyk to three teams: the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights.

Jonas Brodin Returning To Lineup Saturday

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Slavin had missed the past six games before the All-Star break with a lower-body injury. His last game was on January 19, leaving late in a matchup against the Minnesota Wild. Carolina has won all six games in Slavin’s absence, three of them in regulation, and they’ll look to continue a seven-game winning streak tonight in Raleigh. Slavin, averaging over 22 minutes per game this season, is expected to return to his spot on the top pairing alongside Brent Burns.

  • Another important shutdown defenseman is returning to the lineup: Jonas Brodin of the Minnesota Wild. The Athletic’s Michael Russo notes he’s set to return to the lineup tonight against the New Jersey Devils alongside Matt Dumba on the second pairing. Brodin missed the team’s last two games with a lower-body injury. The 29-year-old has two goals and eight points in 43 games this season, posting a +6 rating and 22:32 average time on ice.

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