Since Minnesota has so much salary on LTIR, general manager Bill Guerin now has some salary cap wiggle room to make moves prior to the NHL trade deadline. Before the Kaprizov and Brodin LTIR moves, the Wild had about $100k with which to work. Puckpedia now has the Wild’s deadline cap space at $5.225 million and the LTIR pool at just over $6 million.

Will Bill Guerin wait out the Wild and see where they stand come March? Probably. This team hasn’t performed well against the best in the West, so it isn’t a surefire contender. But Minnesota couldn’t even be called a trade deadline buyer a week ago because they didn’t have any money. Who might Guerin target now that he can take on salary? Here are three trades that make sense for the Minnesota Wild given their needs.

Acquire former Minnesota Wild forward Mikael Granlund

Since the Wild are expected to sign Brock Nelson in free agency this offseason, acquiring a rental in Granlund makes the most sense. Giving up assets for a player you can get in free agency is a bit silly, unless you have concerns about Mikael Granlund’s performance in the playoffs.

Granlund averages 0.54 points per game in the playoffs. That’s considerably lower than his 0.68 points per game in the regular season. That’s to be expected given the increased physicality and better opponents limiting available space.

This give-and-go between Mikael Granlund and Will Smith 😮‍💨🔥 pic.twitter.com/Lsar3baRoN

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) January 20, 2025

Related: Sounds Like Brock Nelson is Destined for a Minnesota Wild Homecoming…but When?

The Wild offense would absolutely benefit from half a point per playoff game. But the biggest benefit might be adding a player to take and win a high volume of faceoffs. Dallas dominated draws against Minnesota in the 2023 playoffs, winning 54.8 percent of faceoffs. The Wild continue to struggle gaining possession off the draw. They’re 27th in the league in faceoff win rate (48.13 percent).

As of this writing, Granlund is owed $1.7 million this season. That’s now within the Wild’s budget, and San Jose would probably accept 2026 NHL draft picks as compensation so Minnesota can retain its four picks in this year’s draft. Granlund addresses the Wild’s need for a left shot who can also play center and helps solve Minnesota’s struggle to score on top teams in the West.

Bring home Minnesota native K’Andre Miller

The New York Rangers aren’t sellers yet, but they might not have the cap space to give K’Andre Miller a considerable raise next season. He’s one of the seven Rangers set to be restricted free agents this offseason, and New York has just over $22 million in projected cap space next season. And that’s despite a $7.5 million increase of the NHL salary cap next season.

Miller’s puck skills and outlet passing ability are inconsistent. He doesn’t have the best hockey IQ and leaves you wanting more physically.

-Harman Dayal and Chris Johnston, The Athletic (subscription required)

K’Andre Miller has taken a considerable step back offensively after a stellar 2023-34 season, but he’s still a sound defenseman. He ranks fifth amongst defenders with 36 takeaways and has served just 10 minutes in penalties over 44 games played. He’s owed roughly $1.5 million as of Jan. 31, and acquiring him early would give both Miller and Minnesota a better chance to determine whether a new contract is warranted.

Miller would benefit from a change of scenery, and there’s no place like home. He’s from St. Paul, but more importantly, he’d learn from and be paired with excellent veteran defenders. Less would be expected of him in Minnesota, too. He certainly wouldn’t log the almost 22 minutes of ice time the Rangers have him skating.

Jon Merrill is an unrestricted free agent after this season, and the Rangers will probably want an expiring contract and a couple of draft picks in return for Miller.

Related: What Does the Increasing NHL Salary Cap Mean for the Minnesota Wild?

Take on salary to acquire 2025 draft pick(s)

Bill Guerin has a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft because he helped complete the trade of Ryan O’Reilly to Toronto in 2023. All it cost him was a $1.875 million cap hit and Josh Pillar, who’s playing pretty well at the University of Saskatchewan.

Guerin now has the cap space to do the same thing this season. He already traded the Wild’s 2025 first-round pick for prospect David Jiříček early in the season. Don’t be surprised if Guerin adds a 2025 draft pick by providing the player and taking on the salary necessary to complete a three-team trade.

Minnesota has weathered the storm of injuries thus far this season in ways that can’t be explained. For one, they tend to right the ship on the road, posting the best road record in the NHL (20-5-3). That’s despite outscoring their opponents by a total of nine goals this season. That’s not sustainable, especially given the injuries, which is another reason why these trades make sense for the Minnesota Wild.

While things have changed pretty drastically for Minnesota, since Russo’s article, the Wild still sit near the top of the Western Conference standings and will be looking to improve the roster as much as they can possibly afford, as they navigate the next two months of the regular season. But… what are they looking for?

Could Minnesota Wild bring Mikael Granlund back?

Then, just last week, veteran NHL insider and senior writer for The Athletic, Chris Johnston, floated the idea of the Minnesota Wild reuniting with an old friend via trade. Johnston likes Mikael Granlund as a left-shooting forward who can switch between wing and center for the Wild.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Granlund was a first-round pick by the Wild who spent seven seasons playing for the organization. Still, wouldn’t it be a nice homecoming story? Minnesota could really use a forward who can toggle between center and wing while chipping in with some offense. Granlund ticks all of those boxes and should come with an added level of comfort given his familiarity with the organization.

Chris Johnston – The Athletic (subscription required)

Mikael Granlund is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so would likely be a one-year rental for the Wild given the contract Granlund will likely demand on the open market. The 32-year-old leading the San Jose Sharks in scoring, with 35 points, which puts him on pace for a career high, which is currently set at 69 (2016-17).

Related: Minnesota Wild Injury Updates – Mostly Good News on Kaprizov, Spurgeon and Middleton

The former Wild No. 9 overall pick (2010) would also give Minnesota some much-needed help on the faceoff dot. He’s winning draws at a 47.2-percent clip this season and is skating more than ever (21:11 ATOI).

In the same piece, The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun identifies Vegas as a potential landing spot for Granlund, which would make the hottest team in the Western Conference even better. It would behoove Minnesota to keep that from happening. Vegas is 8-2-0 over their last 10 games and have posted the fourth-best goal differential in the NHL this season.

Wild also looking for help on the blue line

With Jake Middleton just beginning to skate after hand surgery, and Jared Spurgeon being lost for two to three weeks, Minnesota might be seeking defensive help via trade. Enter Brian Dumoulin, per Brennan McClain of Pro Hockey Rumors.

Given his cost-effective salary and ability to play on both sides of the blue line, he should have several suitors at the trade deadline. Dumoulin has a 10-team no-trade clause in his contract meaning Anaheim can discuss his availability with the 21 teams off his list. The Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets are all legitimate contenders who could use more defensive depth on their blue line.

Brennan McClain – Pro Hockey Rumors

Related: All Matt Boldy Does is Win Shootouts

Dumoulin, 33, also has a contract expiring at the end of the season. He’s blocked 61 shots in 38 games for Anaheim, a piece of the puzzle that’s missing in Minnesota without Middleton and Spurgeon. He’d be second on the team in shots blocked according to Money Puck. Dumoulin is making just $3 million this season, so he’ll have plenty of suitors given his playoff success.

Minnesota is one of the 21 teams to which Dumoulin would accept a trade, but the Wild will likely wait until their blue line is at full strength before considering any trades prior to the NHL trade deadline on March 7.

Whether they should is debatable, but the Wild have managed to hold it together thanks to the elevated play of Marco Rossi, even in the absence of Hart Trophy candidate Kirill Kaprizov.

Wow… if you wanted an exciteable trade deadline in Minnesota you have just gotten your wish. The Minnesota Wild have just traded their best playmaker, in Mikael Granlund, to Nashville for 22-year-old winger, Kevin Fiala. 

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Mikael Granlund has indeed been traded from the #mnwild….Kevin Fiala coming from #nhlpreds. Waiting to hear if there's anything else in the deal

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019

Right now I'm led to believe it's 1 for 1…. https://t.co/qyIgjjs0Sd

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019

From Nashville's perspective, Granlund can play top-6 right wing and aid a 31st-ranked power play

From Minnesota's perspective, Fenton, who announced the Fiala draft pick, gets a guy he loves, a 22 yo speedster whom he believes can be a 30-goal scorer at least.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019

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Alright, so there is some positive spin from Russo but if you look at the Minnesota hockey faithful around the state, there is very little positivity surrounding this deal. I don’t think the fanbase had Granlund as an untradable asset… there just seems to be a large feeling that the Wild didn’t get enough back for the Fin…. It’s coming from all angles. Here is what Hockey Guy Zak has sent me since the deal was consumated… He seems to be going through a whirlwind of emotions. I threw some tweets I’ve seen after too… It’s getting ugly out there.

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I hope Tolvannen is coming with, otherwise it's a terrible deal.

— Kramer Schmidt (@schmidtkramer) February 25, 2019

.@PierreVLeBrun just said on Trade Centre that Fiala/Granlund is 1-for-1. Holy shit that’s freaking terrible.

— Brett Marshall (@B_Marsh92) February 25, 2019

Granlund is about to have his third straight 60 point season. I don't understand this deal at all. Nashville FLEECED the wild pic.twitter.com/44fLxAiOlp

— xTech (@xTechHockey) February 25, 2019

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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