The Minnesota Wild made an enormous statement with their decision to make the boldest move of the present season after they traded for Quinn Hughes Friday night. It was not a simple move for general manager Bill Guerin, nevertheless it was one which he considered a necessity if the Wild were going to affix the elite teams within the NHL and have a legitimate probability to compete for the Stanley Cup.
The Wild are getting near that status. They signed superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a significant contract extension prior to the beginning of the season. Guerin told Kaprizov that the the Wild weren’t done and they’d add other key players to assist the team gain momentum within the NHL. The acquisition of Hughes indicates that Guerin has the total intention of keeping his promise.
Trading for the Canucks superstar defenseman was not a simple move, and there is sort of a bit that went into it. There’s a possibility that there might be some short-term pain since the Wild sent defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi and winger Liam Ohgrean together with a first-round pick to the Canucks.
Buium has all of the tools to grow to be a star blue liner, but he shouldn’t be there yet. Nevertheless, the 21-year-old is the middle piece for the Canucks within the trade. Rossi is an efficient center, but he shouldn’t be an elite player. He’s best-suited for a spot on the third line. Ohgren was a first-round draft alternative in 2022, but he has not done anything to point that he will probably be an honest contributor on the NHL level.
Wild needs a first-line center
The trade of Rossi implies that the Wild can use a first-line center to play between Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Wild have Joel Eriksson Ek as the middle on their No. 2 line between Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson, and that is exactly where he belongs. That line is producing extremely well and Boldy (17 goals and 18 assists in 31 games) is on the verge of superstardom himself.
But teen Danila Yurov is a developing talent and he shouldn’t be able to play center for Kaprizov and Tarasenko. He can do this on a short-term basis and possibly fill in nicely, however the Wild would ideally wish to have a pointy, experienced and skillful center between those two when the playoffs get underway in April.
Pettersson, Schmaltz or O’Reilly could fill the bill
Perhaps Guerin could return to the Canucks and check out to extract Elias Pettersson. The Canucks are off to a painful 11-17-3 start they usually are in last place within the Pacific Division. If the Canucks are cleansing house, Pettersson might be extracted and became a Minnesota mainstay.
That might not be a sensible move. If they cannot acquire Pettersson in a trade, Nick Schmaltz of the Utah Mammoth and Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators might be available.
Schmaltz is one of the crucial underrated players within the league and he has scored 12 goals and added 17 assists in 33 games. He sees the ice well and will even pick up his scoring total if he was surrounded by Kaprizov and Tarasenko. O’Reilly is a former Stanley Cup winner, and while he may not be at his peak, he sees the ice brilliantly and might arrange star teammates. He has 10 goals and 13 assists up to now within the season.
Wild are well-positioned for solid run
The halfway point of the season is within sight and the Wild (39 points) find themselves in third place within the Central Division of the Western Conference. This division is currently ruled by the Colorado Avalanche (51 points) and the Dallas Stars (47 points) are in second place. The Wild have have a six-point lead over the Utah Mammoth and in addition they have two games in hand.
The Wild appear to have a good chance to secure a spot within the Stanley Cup playoffs and there is probability that Hughes will assert himself within the Minnesota lineup shortly. He’s arguably the No. 2 defenseman within the NHL behind Colorado’s Cale Makar, and his skating ability will allow the Wild to point out significant offensive improvement.
Bringing in a middle who can play with the highly expert Kaprizov and Tarasenko is the following move that might turn the Wild into legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.