The Minnesota Wild made a few small additions ahead of Friday’s NHL Trade deadline, reuniting the Foligno brothers while also bringing Bobby Brink, Michael McCarron and Jeff Petry to the State of Hockey.
General manager Bill Guerin already made the trade of the season earlier this yr, acquiring superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks back in December. While the Wild also made a major offer for Recent York Rangers forward and Team USA gold medalist Vincent Trocheck, he was unable to bring the star to Minnesota.
One other player who was reportedly dangled in trade talks is top goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt, who got off to an incredible start in 2025-26 but has faded as of late and settled right into a backup role behind Filip Gustavsson — as he did with Team Sweden on the Olympics.
Although Wallstedt wasn’t moved ahead of the deadline, it’s expected that the Wild will revisit a possible trade for the 23-year-old within the offseason, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio over the weekend.
Wallstedt has managed a 14-6-5 record over 25 starts this season, recording a .911 save percentage and a pair of.81 goals-against average in that span.
Did the Wild do enough on the trade deadline?
At this point, Wallstedt is definitely Minnesota’s top trade chip. With Gustavsson in his prime and signed until the top of the 2030-31 season, there really isn’t any path to the young Swede being a starting goalie for the franchise.
The identical cannot be said for various other NHL teams who want to upgrade between the pipes not only next season, but for the long haul. While Wallstedt hovered within the franchise’s seek for a top-six center, Guerin and the front office decided to not money in on one among the organization’s most vital future assets.
It looks like discussions surrounding Wallstedt will pick up again within the offseason, but because it stands at once, the Wild might need a tougher path to the Stanley Cup Final than some other squad.
They’re almost locked right into a Round 1 matchup against a Dallas Stars team that just had a franchise-record 10-game winning streak snapped. They’ve still picked up some extent in 13 straight, and have not lost in regulation since Jan. 22.
If Minnesota is in a position to beat Dallas, almost certainly awaiting within the second round is a powerhouse Colorado Avalanche team that’s leading the President’s Trophy race, and just got even higher with the addition of star center Nazem Kadri.
At once, Ryan Hartman is the Wild’s top-line center, with Joel Eriksson Ek manning 2C. While the roster is flush with star power, the depth down the center leaves rather a lot to be desired — especially for a club that fashions itself a legitimate contender.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Wild can get through the Stars, and, potentially, the Avalanche. It’s an absolute gauntlet, but in the event that they can discover a way, they’ll have the opportunity to beat any team this spring.
Either way, expect Guerin to again go star hunting within the offseason, and Wallstedt may very well be getting a change of scenery as a part of that quest.