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.

There is already some trade chatter coming out of insider circles, too. Who might president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, may be targeting. According to the Minnesota Wild insider, Michael Russo (The Athletic), Billy G has his eyes set on 2022 No. 6 overall pick, David Jiricek, a defenseman in the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.

If you’ve listened to my Worst Seats in the House podcast, I’ve mentioned his name a handful of times dating to before the summer as one of the Columbus Blue Jackets prospects I could see the Wild pursuing after a new GM arrived and had a chance to examine his players.

The Blue Jackets have held talks with a significant number of NHL teams about Jiricek. One is definitely the Wild, and if they can get this done, I’d think it would be for a prospect and perhaps a pick or NHL throw-in.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

Minnesota Wild eyeing trade for Columbus Blue Jackets top draft pick

Before we get to who the Minnesota Wild might have to give up, in order to land Jiricek from Columbus, let’s quickly get into the “why”. The Blue Jackets have been on a selling spree all season, and they’ve had regular conversations with Bill Guerin, throughout.

It wasn’t that long ago that Minnesota and Columbus had agreed to terms on a deal that would have landed star forward Patrik Laine in St. Paul. He had the Wild on his no-trade list and refused the deal. Not long after, he was dealt to Montreal. So where does Jiricek come into this conversation?

Not only have the Wild been after him for some time, but David Jiricek seems to have found his way into the doghouse of the Blue Jackets’ coaching staff. He’s played in just 6 games all season, spending more time as a healthy scratch in the press box, than he has been active.

Jiricek is averaging just 11:12 TOI in 2024-25, where he has notched only 1 assist all year. Last week, he was sent down to AHL Cleveland, where he notched a goal and an assist in his second game with the Monsters.

Blue Jackets' defenseman prospect David Jiricek scored in OT to lift the Cleveland Monsters over the Milwaukee Admirals.

Nashville rumored to be interested in the No. 6 overall pick from 2022, who seems to be on his way out in Columbus. pic.twitter.com/zZVqSRtfAJ

— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) November 24, 2024

Why do Wild want Jiricek and how do they get him?

Nobody is doubting the newly turned 21-year-old‘s talent, but things are not working out in Columbus, and it appears the Blue Jackets are deep into trade talks with multiple teams, and the Minnesota Wild want him badly. The best part, they won’t have to give up Marco Rossi to get it done.

A few pods ago, I mentioned Jiricek’s name again because it’s a name that I keep hearing the Wild are motivated to acquire. And I subtly hinted I’d understand the deal … as long as a trade doesn’t include Marco Rossi. And I don’t think it would.

In terms of prospects, the only untouchables are likely Danila Yurov, Jesper Wallstedt and Zeev Buium.

Michael Russo – The Athletic

Russo also names Daemon Hunt as a Wild prospect who could be on the move, if they are to reel in David Jiricek. Others listed include Liam Ohgren, Riley Heidt and Hunter Haight. If Columbus wants NHLers back in a trade, defenseman Declan Chisholm and forward Freddy Gaudreau would be the most likely candidates to be included in the deal.

Related: Oddsmakers Do Not See the Minnesota Wild as a Stanley Cup Threat

Originally, the Blue Jackets wanted a prospect-for-prospect offer, in order to move Jiricek. That no longer seems to be the case, which has opened up the possibilities for Minnesota. According to NHL insider Aaron Portzline (The Athletic), Columbus may now be willing to listen to offers including a 1st round pick + a depth defenseman, thus where Russo’s mention of Chisholm comes into play.

If Waddell can’t land a top prospect in return, he may be willing to expand his demands. A team source told The Athletic on Tuesday that he was willing to consider a trade package that would start with a first-round draft pick but may also include a depth defenseman.

Aaron Portzline – The Athletic

Bill Guerin looking to the future, even in a winning season

Obviously, as a very young former top-6 overall pick, Bill Guerin is still in love with the ceiling of Jiricek, who’s from the Czech Republic. Russo says Billy’s future dream includes Faber and Jiricek as the perfect top-six right-shot defensive tandem, the type of talent that is capable of eventually replacing a now 35-year old Jared Spurgeon.

Related: Kirill Kaprizov Hart Trophy Odds: Can Minnesota Wild Superstar Win NHL MVP?

If a deal with the Blue Jackets were to be consummated, according to The Athletic’s Minnesota Wild insider, it’s very possible that David Jiricek would start his time with the Wild, at AHL Iowa, while he gets his feet underneath him, both on and off the ice.

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.

Enter: Brock Boeser (Vancouver Canucks)

One player on the trade market who would bring that offense is Vancouver Canucks’ (almost) 26-year-old winger — and Burnsville, MN native — Brock Boeser. The problem? At $6.65 million per season, and with two years left remaining on his deal, Boeser is too expensive for the cap-strapped Wild, who have serious money problems after this season, thanks to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

But according to his agent, Ben Hankinson, Boeser wants to return to the Twin Cities and play for his hometown Wild. So Hankinson and Bill Guerin have been working behind the scenes to find any way possible to make that happen.

But agent Ben Hankinson, with permission from the Canucks, said he’s been in contact with Wild general manager Bill Guerin about trying to find a way to make it work.

“They’re trying to move some things around, potentially,” Hankinson said Wednesday on The Athletic Hockey Show. “More importantly, maybe are they on the inside (of the playoffs)? They obviously had a big win last night. There’s 82 games, you don’t think one win would be so important. But where are they sitting? Does Billy want to add? Or could he be a potential seller?

Joe Smith (The Athletic)

Are the Minnesota Wild a playoff team?

As of Wednesday, following three-straight victories, the Minnesota Wild are smack-dab in the middle of the Western Conference playoff race. They currently hold the final wildcard spot, four points ahead of the Calgary Flames and seven points clear of the Nashville Predators. Their 67 points is also tied with the Colorado Avalanche, who sit ahead of the Wild for 3rd place in the central division.

Hankinson sees Boeser sliding in perfectly opposite Matt Boldy. The impact he’d have on that 2nd line could be profound. Look no farther than what Boldy and Fiala did together last season, after Matt was called up to be another playmaker on Kevin’s line. The impact was immediate and those two went on to produce huge point totals, Boeser could absolutely make that same type of impact.

Fewest games from the start of a @Canucks player's NHL career to reach 25 goals:
44- Brock Boeser
44- Elias Pettersson
55- Pavel Bure
56- Andrei Kuzmenko (Via his 1st of 2 in a SO defeat vs NSH tonight)
57- Trevor Linden
63- Rick Blight
76- Dennis Ververgaert
76- Patrik Sundstrom pic.twitter.com/GPd9Koq7DR

— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) February 22, 2023

What would it take?

Trade pieces going back, as Hockenson mentions, could be any of the three Minnesota Wild players — Jordan Greenway, Matt Dumba, Calen Addison — who have been thrown into the trade rumor mill of late.

“But where does Brock Boeser fit? I think he fits in perfectly (as) a top-six scoring wing, probably playing with (Matt) Boldy. But there are other pieces in play. There are rumors that (Jordan) Greenway could be going. Obviously the whole (Matt) Dumba rumors. (Calen) Addison has been scratched a little bit, too. There’s a ton at play.”

Ben Hankinson (Boeser’s agent) – via The Athletic

To make this trade happen, Bill Guerin will have to convince the Vancouver Canucks to retain much of Boeser’s future salary cap hits. To do that, he will have to pay a hefty amount more in player capital than what other interested parties are willing to part with. But if they can find a way to make the money work, top-6 offensive talent will no longer be a concern.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Making those types of additions is difficult at any moment, let alone at a trade deadline with the type of salary cap restrictions the Wild are facing after this season. General manager, Bill Guerin, does have about $11.5 million burning a hole through his pocket, though. Cash that will disappear at the end of this season, whether he spends it on a rental or not.

Enter Patrick Kane

That’s where Patrick Kane’s trade market dots logically connect to the Wild. Minnesota needs a short-term answer offensively and Kane would provide that. But The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus has gone a step further, listing the Wild as one of four teams with “confirmed interest” in Kane’s services for the rest of this season.

There are several teams for which Kane could make sense, but that doesn’t always mean there’s real interest there. Four teams with confirmed interest are Carolina, Dallas, Minnesota and Vegas. The question is, of course, is Kane willing to go to any of those teams?

Mark Lazerus – The Athletic

At 34-years-old, Patrick Kane is on a current pace this season that would set career lows in points and assists (excluding 2012-13 when he only played 47 games). Let’s not forget, however, that he posted 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) just one season ago and there’s no doubt the disfunction in Chicago paired with his clouded future has been weighing on him.

Kaprizov — Kane — Zuccarello

Could dropping Kane into the middle of a roster that has Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the first line fix him? Would he unlock Matt Boldy much like Kevin Fiala did last season? If so, he might be the immediate jolt the Wild need on offense. Kane has a no-trade clause so he’d have to okay a trade to the Wild but he’d be hard pressed to find a landing spot with better talent around him than in Minnesota.

I (Rono) don't know what to say about Patrick Kane. He could be a huge addition but also terrible acquisition. Kane still has one of the best hands in the world. He's an offensive machine. But trade a 1st round draft pick + A prospect/good young player for him for example? No. pic.twitter.com/CHLEyNtmjL

— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) February 9, 2023

For Guerin, the question always comes down to price. He’s always hesitant to move 1st round draft picks or top prospects in exchange for rental players. But in Kane’s case, the Wild could be uniquely positioned to make a deal.

Kane’s asking price will come down significantly, compared to the immediate value he would likely bring, because he is only under contract for one more season. For many teams, his expiring deal will scare them away. For Minnesota, that’s the exact type of short-term, high impact trade target they’re on the prowl for.

Juice worth the squeeze?

I cannot see Guerin moving a 1st round pick for a half season of Patrick Kane. But what if he agrees to eat more salary — Blackhawks reportedly expect to cover half of Kane’s $10.5M AAV this season — and offers, say, Marco Rossi, Jordan Greenway (or Matt Dumba?) and whatever mid to late round draft filler gets the deal done for either side after that?

WHAT @RadioFalness wouldn’t give up Marco Rossi for a chance to get Patrick Kane on the #mnwild!!?

— Alex Micheletti (@AlexMicheletti) February 4, 2023

If Guerin is losing confidence in Rossi’s future, after his failed first stint in the NHL, he could be the perfect prospect to dangle in front of the Blackhawks and an easy way to unload an unruly and unreliable Jordan Greenway or expiring Matt Dumba.

The Minnesota Wild are at a crossroad. They are not good enough to compete as a playoff team as currently constructed. Patrick Kane could represent a rare opportunity for them to rise to the top of the Western Conference with one rental transaction.

But would the juice be worth the squeeze? Because these oranges don’t last long and they aren’t cheap.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan