It’s time for another round of NHL rumours. We’re nearing the March 7 trade deadline and that means teams will be looking to improve their rosters. General managers want to make changes that will push them over the top. However, it’s a big risk to roll the dice on making that move. Some clubs have plenty of room to maneuver, but other clubs have plenty of constraints to them. One team that might have to deal with those restrictions is the Minnesota Wild. This edition of NHL rumours deals with what the Wild might do at the upcoming deadline.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
Minnesota Wild Looking to be Active at Deadline
Rumour: The Athletic’s Michael Russo appeared of Sportsnet 590 The Fan to talk about what the Wild may do at the upcoming deadline.
“There comes a time in every team’s process where you decide … you can now use those picks and prospects as currency. And the Wild are at that spot.”@RussoHockey projects how the #mnwild will approach the trade deadline with @mattymar89 & @futamichael. pic.twitter.com/ZdoB7GDnFI
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) January 8, 2025
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Analysis: Minnesota has been a pleasant surprise and is in the thick of it for a high seed in the Western Conference. It’s pretty likely that the Wild will return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out the season before.
This is despite the Wild having loads of dead salary cap money on the books. Minnesota is in the last season of having to deal with the twin buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Wild General Manager Bill Guerin has managed to put out a winning product even though they have nearly $14.75 million of dead money on the books.
Russo said that Guerin is willing to make some moves, but his hands may be tied by the limited cap space. The Athletic writer said that Guerin may be willing to trade picks and prospects in order to make the team a more solid contender. Guerin proved that he was willing to take a swing by acquiring David Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets. However, Guerin may be limited on what he can do.
What It Means
The main issue is trying to rack up salary cap space. Guerin needs some sort of space in order to be in a position to make a move. According to Puckpedia, the Wild have a measly $12,500 of salary cap space they can use.
It looks like Minnesota will have to make some sort of trade to move out salary in order to make something happen. It’s a game of chess and Guerin might have to give up something in order to land a key cog for a playoff push.
One other thing that may hamstring a trade is the team wanting to hang on to some of their key prospects. Minnesota has done a great job at drafting the last few years and has some highly-touted younger players they want to give a chance to.
A number of well-regarded prospects like Zeev Buium, Reily Heidt and Danila Yurov are developing and likely figure into the Wild’s future plans. Guerin probably doesn’t want to give up these players because they will be future cornerstones. Minnesota has some tough decisions to make and may not be able to add to its roster due to cap constraints.
Main photo by: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
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