Sure, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin could be found wheeling and dealing throughout the last week. First, this time last Friday, the Wild trading away future draft capital to the Nashville Predators for semi-familiar forward Gustav Nyquist.

Then Thursday, Minnesota traded away 22 y/o center Marat Khusnutdinov and 24 y/o wing Jakub Lauko to the Boston Bruins for 27 y/o wing Justin Brazeau. But as other top contenders in the Western Conference were getting better on Friday, Guerin watched and sat on his hands.

Colorado Avalanche leave Minnesota Wild in the dust at NHL Trade Deadline

One of the most active teams at the NHL trade deadline this afternoon was Wild division rival, the Colorado Avalanche. They spent Friday swapping out multiple forwards, while also making upgrades on the blue line. The flurry of activity in Colorado today started right as the calendar was flipping from Thursday to Friday.

Across the hockey world, NHL fans woke up to notifications that the Avs had traded away 20 y/o top prospect Calum Ritchie and 27 y/o defenseman Oliver Kylington — along with a future 1st and 3rd round draft pick — to the New York Islanders, in exchange for 33 y/o Warroad native Brock Nelson and 23 y/o forward William Dufour, a top 10 prospect in the Avs system.

Brock Nelson is off to Denver!! 🏔️ #NHLTradeDeadline pic.twitter.com/GOQifR6gYd

— NHL (@NHL) March 7, 2025

The move for Nelson felt like a direct shot across the bow at their division rival, the Minnesota Wild. Remember, Michael Russo (The Athletic) and others around the league have been reporting on the Wild’s interest in bringing Nelson home ASAP, whether it happened via deadline trade or when he becomes a free agent this offseason.

Now that Nelson is on the roster of their biggest division rival, is it less likely that Brock returns to Minnesota and plays for his home state Wild next season? Only Brock Nelson and those around him can answer that question, but it certainly doesn’t make his homecoming more likely.

Avalanche brass can’t get Minnesota off their brain at trade deadline…

But the Colorado Avalanche were far from finished dealing, after they landed Nelson in the wee hours of Friday morning. This afternoon, the Avs must’ve realized they had too much Minnesota blood on their roster, after the Nelson acquisition.

Thus, the Wild’s top rival traded decided to trade 26 y/o Eden Prairie native, Casey Mittelstadt, to the Boston Bruins. Of course, the Minnesota Wild connections didn’t end there. In return for Mittelstadt, the Avalanche received 33 y/o former Wild fan favorite Charlie Coyle, who played the first 479 games of his NHL career in Minnesota.

We have acquired Charlie Coyle and a 2026 pick from the Boston Bruins in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt, William Zellers, and a 2025 pick. pic.twitter.com/yNozSyN2SS

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 7, 2025

I’m not trying to sound like the late, great Billy Mays selling you Oxyclean when you wake up with the TV on at 3 a.m. with this article… “but wait, there’s more!” No seriously, the Minnesota obsession in Colorado did not stop after the Mittelstadt for Coyle trade.

Related: MN Wild Forward Named Breakout Star to Watch at 2026 Olympics

Moments after that deal went final, the Avs must’ve felt regret for trading away one of the Minnesotans on the roster, because they immediately turned around and acquired another one from the Philadelphia Flyers, this time trading for Bloomington-born and MN raised, Erik Johnson, a 36-year-old defenseman who returns to Colorado, where he spent the best years of his career from 2010 to 2023.

We have acquired Erik Johnson from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Givani Smith. pic.twitter.com/eLpTLJforp

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) March 7, 2025

Look, I understand that there are a lot of Minnesota-born players in the NHL, but there was a different level of interest from the Avalanche today, in acquiring and dealing away guys with ties to the state of hockey. Even while Bill Guerin stayed quiet at the deadline, we were all up in the brain of those running the Avs front office at the deadline.

That was supposed to mean president of hockey operations Bill Guerin wouldn’t be alloted any additional cap space to make much of an impact before Friday’s deadline. That, of course, was after the Wild traded for familiar face, Gustav Nyquist.

Minnesota Wild trade away Khusnutdinov, Lauko to Bruins for Justin Brazeau

Now, just a few days later, Billy has found yet another way to wheel and deal, despite Minnesota’s tight cap situation. This time, he has dealt away two forwards — Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko — to the Boston Bruins in exchange for 27-year-old Canadian winger Justin Brazeau.

Brazeau has 10 goals, 20 points and 89 hits on the season, in rather limited ice time (12:58 TOI). He’s a big body forward who will immediately provide a presence in front of the net, until Eriksson Ek returns. The trade was first broken by Kevin Weekes (ESPN, NHL Network), who got the scoop fresh out of surgery.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told @mnwild are trading F Khusnutdinov and F Lauko to the @NHLBruins . #HockeyX
Side note, fresh outta surgery so I’m not that sharp LOL 😂 pic.twitter.com/Iixv4SXynn

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 7, 2025

For the amount of time on ice that Justin Brazeau receives on a nightly basis, his statistics this season are really impressive. He averages 3rd line minutes, but ranks top seven on the Bruins in goals and top 10 in both assists and points. The 6’6″, 227 lb former OHL North Bay Battalion star also played 86.2 minutes on the power play for Boston this season, where he scored four of his 10 goals on the year.

Related: With Stars Expected Back, MN Wild Preparing for Underwhelming NHL Trade Deadline

Brazeau was the only skater for Boston who scored more than ten goals but averaged less than 17.5 minutes of ice time per game. Our old friend Charlie Coyle is next down that list, with 17:38 average TOI (15 goals). No doubt Justin Brazeau represents a type of NHL talent that neither Khusnutdinov nor Lauko provided at this point in their careers.

113 points in 68 games for the OHL’s North Bay Battalion in 2018-2019 btw…and wore the “C”

The Justin Brazeau Experience #NHLBruins | @BruinSomethin pic.twitter.com/829wOTib7z

— Michael Sullivan (@_MikeSullivan) May 7, 2024

Justin Brazeau converts on the power play.

1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/n0MZ8Ajmya

— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 24, 2024

When the Wild return to action on Saturday they won’t be at full strength. The 4 Nations wraps up tonight with the USA vs Canada championship game. We don’t know what the Wild have planned this weekend, for Team USA teammates Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, if they’ll need some rest or time to (hopefully) celebrate in Boston.

So far (knock on wood), injuries haven’t been an issue for Wild players during the 4 Nations tournament. God-willing that remains the case Thursday night, the return date of those involved will not be top of mind. That cannot be said about Kirill Kaprizov, though.

Minnesota Wild timetable for Kirill Kaprizov unclear

According to Joe Smith (The Athletic), Kaprizov has yet to skate on his surgically repaired lower body injury, which was operated on January 31, meaning there still is no timetable for the Minnesota Wild’s best player to return.

…though [Kaprizov] has been around the team, there’s still some uncertainty on when he’ll return.

“He hasn’t skated at all,” [asst coach John] Capuano said. “Maybe when John (Hynes) and (president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin) get back, they can give you an update next week.”

The Athletic

Originally, the thought was that Kaprizov would be out at least four weeks, a timeline that is quickly approaching. If Kaprizov isn’t skating on his own in the next week or two, his return by the six week mark could be in jeopardy too.

Kaprizov last played for the Wild on January 26. They have gone 4-2 in his absence, but will get back in a regular rhythm when the sport resumes this weekend. The NHL trade deadline is March 7, and Minnesota may need to make decisions with an interest as to when their star will return.

Related: MN Wild Forward Named Breakout Star to Watch at 2026 Olympics

At 33-19-4 the Minnesota Wild have the third-best record in the Central Division. Their 70 points are seventh-best across the NHL and have them firmly in the playoff picture. How much staying power they have in the Western Conference playoff bracket without Kaprizov remains to be seen.

How long can Wild stay afloat without Kaprizov?

Through 37 games this season Kaprizov was tracking towards legitimate Hart Trophy consideration. The Russian winger already had put 23 goals in the net and added 29 assists for a total of 52 points. His 19 plus-minus was trending toward a career best, as were all of his scoring marks.

Kirill Kaprizov – Minnesota Wild (23) pic.twitter.com/iG92Na0PcP

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalVideos) December 24, 2024

It’s a disappointing reality for both the Wild and Kaprizov. With a likely looming payday this offseason, it’s hard not to consider how much the injury impacts. Last season Kaprizov played in just 75 games, and was available for only 67 the year prior.

As a professional, Kaprizov has played 81 games just once. He played in 55 games as a rookie. The Wild appear ready to break the bank, but the lack of availability could cause them some pause.

Related: Team USA Trying to Ride Brock Faber to 4 Nations Title

Everyone within the organization has to be hoping that Kaprizov’s body responds positively in the coming days. An ability to insert him on the top line changes the dynamic of the entire team. The future of this season likely depends on how soon he can be back skating.

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.

But this year, crickets. Why? Because general manager Bill Guerin gave extensions with no-trade clauses to most of his best veteran deadline assets like Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman and all of them had heavy trade protection.

NHL Scout on Minnesota Wild: “They’ve got s*** to trade”

Thus, front offices across the league are disengaged with what’s happening in the state of hockey. So much so that one team scout looked at NHL insider Jim Cerny (Sportsnaut) like he had dropped in on him from Mars when asked if there are any players of interest being dangled in Minnesota. “They’ve got shit to trade”, he told the veteran reporter bluntly.

Forward Brandon Duhaime, who’s scored four goals and is second on the Wild with 66 penalty minutes, is most likely to be traded since he can be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

But that didn’t excite one personnel figure, who told Sportsnaut, “The Wild? They’ve got [expletive] to trade. Unless you tell me they’re dealing Marco Rossi or something.”

Jim Cerny – Sportsnaut

That quote of gold shows how ridiculous the reports were last week that claimed Brandon Duhaime was really getting other teams across the league excited, leading up to the trade deadline. Those reports smelled fishy last week and whichever league scout gave Sportsnaut that quote proved what we already knew. That nobody cares about Brandon Duhaime. Let’s be real. If he was any good, he’d be playing more for the Wild.

Marc-Andre Fleury staying changes Bill Guerin’s plans

With Marc-Andre Fleury wanting to stick around, and possibly even sign a contract extension to remain with the Minnesota Wild for one more season, the rest of the league knows that this franchise has nothing worthy to offer anyone at the 2024 trade deadline. Come chat with us again this offseason, is pretty much the attitude.

Related: Wild’s Jake Middleton Uses Jeremy Lauzon’s Face as Punching Bag in Epic Beatdown

Is that good or bad? It’s indifferent. But there’s no doubt that re-upping on all those veterans and passing out no-trade clauses like they are candy has strapped Guerin from an options standpoint, in the short-term. By the time the Parise/Suter buyout penalties fall off the books in 2025-26, what is the temperature of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber? Time will tell.

I’m not saying Bill Guerin should start worrying about his job because I do not feel that way yet. But there’s no doubt he has used up a lot of the honeymoon phase he carried into this post Parise/Suter era of Wild hockey. We all knew it would be a difficult couple years when those buyouts were hitting the hardest. But living it is harder than digesting the theory back then.

** An earlier version of this article had the above quote being from an NHL “executive. Shortly after posting, I was corrected and told it was a team scout who said it, not an executive.

But whether they are buyers or sellers before the trade deadline next week, it appears the Wild are shopping forward Brandon Duhaime either way. And there appear to be several interested teams.

Veteran NHL insider Frank Seravalli (Daily Faceoff) mentioned the Canucks as one team that likes Duhaime but Jacob Stoller (Hockey News) went even further, noting that Vancouver isn’t the only team pursuing the 26-year-old right winger.

Minnesota Wild could get haul for Brandon Duhaime at trade deadline

Further to @frank_seravalli's report re: the #Canucks being interested in Brandon Duhaime:

They're not the only ones.

If the #MNWild fall out of the playoff race, I wouldn't be surprised if GM Bill Guerin is able to get a haul for Duhaime.

Lot of teams are high on Duhaime,…

— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) February 26, 2024

Brandon Duhaime has collected 6 points in 58 games so far this season, and has had very little impact offensively. He does lead the team in penalty minutes, however… so take that however you want. If Wild general manager Bill Guerin really can gain anything near “a haul”, the Wild should absolutely consider making a move.

Related: Wild Prospect Danila Yurov is Stacking Points in the KHL Even Faster than Kirill Kaprizov Did

Duhaime’s role primarily lies on the fourth line, sometimes even in the press box. If other teams perceive greater potential in him, perhaps it’s time for the Wild to move on. Micheal Russo from The Athletic also suggests that it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Wild won’t re-sign “Dewey 1” this offseason.

Don’t be surprised, even if the Wild aren’t in “sell mode,” if Guerin at least contemplates trading Dewy 1 and Dewy 2. Teams looking to improve their bottom six are calling, especially about Brandon Duhaime. He’s 26, fast, physical, is a willing fighter and kills penalties, but it’s becoming increasingly clear the Wild don’t plan to re-sign him this offseason..

Russo – The Athletic

Duhaime has spent his entire career with the Wild, after they drafted him in 2016. He made his NHL debut with Minnesota in 2019, but it appears he is approaching his final games in a Wild sweater, whether he is traded now or walks away in free agency this offseason.

Related: Brandon Duhaime Drops William Lockwood in Bar Fight 1st Period

Early season struggles have the Wild backed into such a brutal corner that every single loss, even in January, is devastating. It’s so bad that one short losing streak will likely sink any realistic chances Minnesota has at making the NHL postseason. And should they fall out of it, their Guerin is expected to go into sell-mode, leading up to the deadline.

What would Minnesota Wild “sell-mode” look like?

Now, “sell-mode’ is a relative term. If you’re looking for ‘BLOWOUT SALE’ banners hanging around Xcel Energy Center, you’ll be disappointed.

Veteran contract extensions inexplicably offered by Guerin, before the start of the season, and happily accepted by rusting vets like Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman have handcuffed the Wild from doing much of anything. Had those guys not been extended, all three would have been very valuable expiring contract assets at the trade deadline.

“Remember, even if Guerin still wanted to bring Hartman, Zuccarello and Foligno back, he could have still dealt them come March and attempted to re-sign some or all next summer. Now they all have no-move clauses. So they’re here to stay.”

The Athletic

So instead of a massive blowout sale, the Wild’s trade deadline sell-mode will look more like a local grocery store clearance rack. There are a few potentially tempting items available (but they’re cheap and on clearance for a reason).

Marc-Andre Fleury to Flyers, then retirement?

One of the few players who is all but guaranteed to be moved, if the Minnesota Wild enter sell-mode, is 39-year-old goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who first landed in St. Paul as part of a trade deadline deal with the Chicago Blackhawks back in March, 2022. MAF is pretty much on the block already and steam surrounding his eventual landing spot has picked up recently.

Related: Marc-Andre Fleury Trade Rumors are Flying Already

On Thursday evening, MAF popped up again on a list of potential trade targets for the Philadelphia Flyers, who are seeking a netminder they can pair with rookie, Sam Ersson, after their starter Carter Hart went out indefinitely with injury.

According to NHL insider Jim Cerny (Sportsnaut), Marc-Andre Fleury is one of six goalies who Philly might have interest in. Of course, with the Wild sitting near the bottom of the West, any contender that needs goalie help is going to be loosely linked to MAF. Cerny’s mention of Fleury’s likely retirement, however, caught my attention.

Fleury holds the cards here. It’s likely his final NHL season and he will have a say if he goes anywhere and where he’d like to end up. If Fleury believes the Flyers are a legit contender and is willing to split time with Ersson, this could work.

Jim Cerny – Sportsnaut

Fleury trying to avoid pre-retirement circus?

In case you missed it, it’s been reported a bit more recently how uncomfortable Fleury gets when he returns to Pittsburgh, after he helped them win three Stanley Cups from 2009-2018. He’s just too beloved there. Every time he goes back to that city, he’s thrown off by the many ancillary distractions that come along with the history he helped create for that fanbase and franchise.

We know MAF wants to play for a contending team, but that’s been the case for multiple seasons now. Locally, reporters have played coy with Fleury’s retirement plans, trying to leave the door open for a possible return next year.

Related: A Matt Dumba Reunion Might be Wild’s Best Option to Replace Jared Spurgeon

But here’s an NHL insider with three decades of experience around the league — which includes broadcasting in the NY markets and reporting for the NY Times and NHL.com — who seems very confident that this is Fleury’s final season wearing the pads professionally.

MAF doesn’t like the spotlight being on him, when it comes to ceremonies and awkward award celebrations, especially when he has hockey to play after. So for all the hockey fans out there, enjoy one of the world’s greatest goalies in hockey history while you can.

The only win during that time came on Monday, via Marc-Andre Fleury shutout. But if you pull that misnomer victory out of the equation, the Minnesota Wild have allowed 5.6 goals per game in that stretch. Tonight, they’re on the ice again for the second half of a back-to-back.

Minnesota Wild determined to win more games

It gets worse. Yesterday afternoon, the team announced that their struggling blue line will be without Captain, Jared Spurgeon for the remainder of the season, due to hip and back injuries that require separately scheduled surgeries.

Related: Jared Spurgeon Needs Season-Ending Surgeries; Wild Enter Pending UFA Trade Market

John Hynes giving the pregame speech today after hearing the Spurgeon news #mnwild pic.twitter.com/XKKbw8nnCC

— 10,000 Takes (@10k_Takes) January 18, 2024

Still, there’s no sign that Wild president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, is planning to shut things down for the season, in hopes of more ping pong balls during the draft lottery. According to multiple reports out of The Athletic, Minnesota’s front office has already turned its gaze toward the pending unrestricted free agency trade market, in hopes of finding a suitable 1/2 season replacement for Spurgeon.

Guerin wouldn’t publicly admit that he plans to pull off a hail mary trade but Michael Russo and Joe Smith both seem to expect Billy will do something of significance.

“We’ve got a lot of defensemen here,” Guerin said. “We’ve got six guys playing well right now, two guys in the stands right now that have played well and contributed. Whether we use that (trade market) or not is TBD. We’ll see. We could. I just don’t know yet.”

The Wild’s third pair is currently Dakota Mermis and rookie Daemon Hunt, both left shots. The two “guys in the stands” are veteran defensemen Alex Goligoski (who has played over 1,000 games) and Jon Merrill. You have to wonder what they’re thinking with Guerin indicating he could explore trading for a D-man with them spending the last few games in the press box.

The Athletic

Related: Minnesota Wild Still Shooting for Playoffs but Guerin Admits More Losing Could Change That

I guess we all should expect Guerin, and Wild owner Craig Leipold, to keep grasp of their playoff hopes for as long as possible. Still, trading away any future assets to try and save this season seems like bad business.

But my opinion doesn’t matter. If the Minnesota Wild are dead set on trying to save their season, my thoughts aren’t going to stop them. And now that they’ve turned their attention to the pending UFA trade market, they’ve probably realized already who the most obvious top target should be.

Matt Dumba coming home to replace Jared Spurgeon?

That’s right, it’s Matt Dumba.

One of the more intriguing names is a familiar one: Matt Dumba. The former longtime Wild defenseman checks a lot of the boxes as a pending UFA with not a bad cap hit ($3.9 million) and with familiarity with the team and the area.

The Athletic

Matt Dumba’s video tribute pic.twitter.com/h3YLkmajjZ

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) January 14, 2024

The Arizona Coyotes are ahead of the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference standings but only by four points. In other words, they are anything but a real Stanley Cup contender. Dumba only signed a one-year contract in Arizona so he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, which is exactly what Guerin is shopping for.

Timing might be the biggest obstacle standing in the way of a Dumba + Wild reunion. The trade deadline isn’t until March 8, so the Arizona Coyotes have more than a month and a half to figure out how they want to handle the deadline and whether or not they will be buyers or sellers.

Related: Another Wild Losing Streak Means… Another Players-Only Meeting

If they indeed go into sell-mode, Dumba will be prime candidate for buying teams to come in and scoop up out of the desert. Unfortunately, if the Minnesota Wild do not get help for their blue line IMMEDIATELY, they won’t be buying anything at the deadline.

That doesn’t mean the Coyotes wouldn’t be willing to part with Matt Dumba now. But the price would probably be a lot higher than it would be in the first week of March, if they are indeed sellers by that point.

With the NHL season half over, the Wild need to pick up the pace or they will quickly fall out of the playoff race, something Bill Guerin says hasn’t happened yet. But if it does, the Wild don’t just risk letting their season get away, they risk losing goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, too.

Could Minnesota Wild Trade Marc-Andre Fleury?

If the Wild continue to lose, according to a recent report from NHL insider Pierre LeBrun (The Athletic), Fleury may not finish the season with the Wild.

I’m certainly not ready to write off the Wild. A lot can change in a few weeks. But if that second-half surge doesn’t happen, Fleury will be an intriguing name ahead of March 8, just like he was two years ago when Chicago ultimately dealt him to the Wild. I know of a couple of teams that are planning to reach out to the Wild in the coming weeks to get a sense of things on him. Just part of doing their due diligence.

The Athletic

Related: Timberwolves, Wild Streams Officially Coming to Amazon Prime; Twins’ Future Still in Flux

The NHL trade deadline is on March 8th, giving the Minnesota Wild plenty of time to maybe go on a run, GM Bill Guerin has said he still believes in his club and is not ready to give up on them quite yet. Guerin recently had a press conference.

“And I think Flower just wants to focus on his team right now and his play,” added Guerin. “We’ll see how it goes and then we’ll have the appropriate conversations. “It’s just too early for that, and I’m not ready and I’m sure Flower isn’t ready to have that conversation either.”

Bill Guerin (via The Athletic)

After new head coach John Hynes was hired, the Wild went on a little run, winning 11 of 14 games, and getting them back in the early season playoff race. Since then, the Wild have won two out of the last ten games, putting their season in danger of slipping away before the All-Star break.

Kirill Kaprizov and Jonas Brodin have recently returned from injuries and Bill Guerin is hoping that will help lead to a hot January finish. But the early rumblings make one thing clear for sure. Fleury isn’t finishing this season with a non-playoff team.

Landing Spots For Fleury

The NHL legend surely wants to land on a team contending for the Stanley Cup, similar to how the Wild traded for Fleury a few years ago when he was on a struggling Blackhawks team. So that begs to question, who would be in the running for Fleury, should he become available? LeBrun listed five teams that make sense.

• Toronto Maple Leafs
• Edmonton Oilers
• Carolina Hurricanes
• New Jersey Devils
• Colorado Avalanche

Related: Another Wild Losing Streak Means… Another Players-Only Meeting

Fleury is a free agent after this season, and at 39-years-old, retirement could be after that. The Wild aren’t expecting to get much in a trade, as it would be more about doing Fleury a favor, as he approaches retirement.

Will the second-winningest goalie in NHL history be traded before March 8? If they start winning, then no. But if the losing continues, bye bye Marc-Andre Fleury.

Sabres sending 2023 2nd and 2024 5th to Wild for Greenway https://t.co/PyQaRggb18

— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 3, 2023

Wild deal for Oskar Sundqvist

In a separate deal with the Detroit Red Wings, GM Bill Guerin traded away a 2023 4th round pick for 28-year-old depth winger, Oskar Sundqvist, to replace Greenway. Sundqvist has 7 goals and 14 assists on the season and has never topped 31 points in his career.

Sounds like Oskar Sundqvist is heading to the Wild

— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) March 3, 2023

Wild acquire John Klingberg at bell

Then, just when it looked like the dust had settled, Guerin went back to the drawing board again, this time sending a 2025 5th rounder to the Anaheim Ducks for 30-year-old defenseman, John Klingberg (8 goals and 16 assists). Klingberg is known for his offense. He played most of his career in Dallas, where he earned an All-Star spot in 2018.

John Klingberg has been traded to Minnesota, the Ducks got it in just under the wire

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 3, 2023

John Klingberg return: #mnwild sending 4th in 2025, Andrej Sustr and rights to Nesterenko. Ducks retaining half the salary of Klingberg.

— Joe Smith (@JoeSmithNHL) March 3, 2023

Are the Wild deep all of a sudden?

That means both Alex Goligoski and Matt Dumba will remain on a roster that now looks extremely deep. While Guerin may not have been able to add a game-changing scorer or playmaking centerman like many fans hoped, he certainly made them more equipped to handle a run to and through the Western Conference playoffs. Especially should Nyquist be healthy and up to task before the postseason starts.

With #mnwild acquiring John Klingberg, they'll carry 8 D with Alex Goligoski staying put. As I reported this morning, it felt like they'd want a D and were willing to move Goligoski if he wanted. Now that he's staying, Goligoski/Addison may be the extras once Jonas Brodin is back

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 3, 2023

All acquisitions on Friday were for rental players on expiring contracts. The Wild did not retain any of Jordan Greenway’s salary so his trade will free up $3 million both of the next two seasons. The Wild will look to continue their hot streak on Saturday vs the drowning Calgary Flames.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan