Would the Minnesota Wild be inquisitive about Auston Matthews? Have they got enough assets for any of the highest available centers?
Sportsnet 590 The FAN: Michael Russo of The Athletic was asked if the Minnesota Wild could be inquisitive about Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews if he were made available. Have they got the assets to accumulate Matthews, or another top-line center that is likely to be available?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bourne: “Yeah, yesterday on the show, we actually accused you of tampering.”
Russo: “Yeah, I’ve heard that. I’ve had quite a lot of fans excuse me of tampering.”
Sam McKee: “I appreciate you saying ‘we’. It was me.”
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Bourne: “We accuse you of tampering. The image chosen for the story was Austin Matthews. I feel it’s, by the best way, we’re very aware of the situation, and I feel it’s fair to ask, are you hearing noise about Matthews, Minnesota?”
Russo: “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t say that I’m hearing noise, but I do know Bill Guerin very well, and there’s little question that he could be in on that if Auston ever went to market.
Again, I just don’t know if the Wild would have the assets to get that done. Because I feel any GM goes to have a look at the Quinn Hughes trade as kind of a template in a trade like that. And, and the Wild couldn’t do one other, you understand, Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and a primary. They only don’t have those assets anymore.
And I feel if Auston Matthews suddenly became on the trade market, and I feel there’ll be quite a lot of teams in it. But, but look, the Wild have been trying for 25, 26 years to get a primary center. They haven’t been capable of.
We all know what Bill Guerin thinks of Auston. So I feel he’d just be if he it. Let’s put it this manner, if he suddenly was on the trade block, the Wild could be on that. If Robert Thomas was suddenly on the trade block, the Wild could be on that. If Brady Tkachuk, who’s not a middle, was suddenly on the trade block, you understand, Billy could be on that.
They intend to make yet another big move. They clearly tried it on the deadline. It didn’t work. You understand, Vincent Trocheck, obviously not on the ilk of that, but they tried to make that work.”
But, you understand, I’m not attempting to tamper for Bill Guerin.”
Nick Kypreos: “Whether it’s Auston and even Trocheck, who will, his name will come up again within the offseason. Like, have they got, can they even nibble around the sides, or did they simply spend an excessive amount of on Quinn Hughes to return to back?”
Russo: “That the thing. Yeah. I mean, that’s the thing. And you understand, like, that’s why I didn’t love the (Marat) Khusnutdinov trade, because no less than, you understand, then it’d be Khusnutdinov or Ohgren within the ,within the Quinn Hughes deal, and no less than you’d have one in all them this offseason to perhaps move.
So, you understand now they put themselves ready where they’re going to must probably offer around (Jesper) Wallstedt, (Daniil) Yurov. Obviously, they’ve Charlie Stramel, another prospects as well.
But I don’t know in the event that they have, like, I actually have identical to, if perhaps Trocheck, they might have a probability for. But I just have trouble buying that if Auston Matthews went to market, that the Wild would give you the option to, you understand, unless Auston said, I’m only going to Minnesota, which, you understand, I do know Toronto fans don’t need to hear, you understand, I just don’t see how, how the Wild have those assets.
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But, you understand, look, I mean, Bill Guerin is motivated this summer to do something significant. Clearly, he set the table on some things, and we’ll see if it happens. But I do have my doubts on, on just the variety of prospects, not their desire, but just the prospects and the picks and the trade assets that they’ve right away to make those style of big moves.
You understand, I actually have little question they went hard after Robert Thomas. I do know they went hard after Vincent Trocheck. And so, we’ll see what they do that offseason.”
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