![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/wild-cap.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nOh, and the Wild traded a ton of their top prospects and draft picks over the past few years to get into this win-now window. That check will come due as they try to add more.<\/p>\n
The Wild were good enough this past season to win a first-round series for the first time in 11 years. However, a second-round loss showed they need more, specifically in the seemingly endless search for a No. 1 center, which, aside from extending Hughes, will be the No. 1 priority this summer.<\/p>\n
The free-agent market is paltry at best, so Guerin will likely have to make his mark via trade.<\/p>\n
Who could that be? No doubt Guerin has called or will call on everybody from Auston Matthews to Robert Thomas to Jack Hughes to Nico Hischier to Tomas Hertl to Dylan Larkin. He could veer a different direction if a No. 1 center is unattainable, instead going after a top-six winger such as Brady Tkachuk if he\u2019s available.<\/p>\n
And if a big trade doesn\u2019t happen this summer, Guerin will surely be scouring the landscape in-season the way he did with the Hughes blockbuster.<\/p>\n
Guerin has already mortgaged a large part of the future in trades for Hughes and David Jiricek and may not want to trade more young roster players (Jesper Wallstedt, Danila Yurov) or prospects (Charlie Stramel, Hunter Haight, Adam Benak). If not, he\u2019ll have to consider outside-the-box deals, maybe even deals that involve core pieces.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody in this game\u2019s untouchable,\u201d Guerin said.<\/p>\n
That being said, the reality is there are players we\u2019d bet our houses the Wild would not move.<\/p>\n
A big caveat here is that we had touted prospect Zeev Buium in the \u201cnot going anywhere\u201d category of this piece last summer, which shows Guerin is willing to go anywhere if the trade is worth it (as Hughes was).<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how we think the roster shakes out from a trade availability standpoint.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot going anywhere\u201dMatt Boldy<\/p>\n
Boldy has elevated himself to superstar status after a 40-goal season and Olympic gold medal victory. The Wild believe he\u2019s pretty darn close to Kaprizov \u2014 a 1A and 1B situation \u2014 and he\u2019s a steal on his current contract ($7 million average annual value), so it\u2019s hard to imagine a scenario in which Minnesota trades Boldy and finds itself better. Could he be the answer at No. 1 center? Guerin and John Hynes both said at their end-of-year pressers that it\u2019s doable in short stints but that they wouldn\u2019t want to do it full-time. Hynes essentially said the responsibilities that come with that move could take away from Boldy\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n
Kirill Kaprizov<\/p>\n
The soon-to-be $17 million AAV man holds a full no-move clause and is the best player in franchise history. So, no, he\u2019s not going anywhere. Kaprizov drives the team offensively and will hold every scoring record by the end of his time in Minnesota; he already holds many after just six seasons. The end of this year\u2019s playoffs was disappointing, with Kaprizov having one shot on goal in Games 4 and 5 combined, and the scrutiny will grow with being the league\u2019s highest-paid player. Guerin met with Kaprizov for an hour last week before he returned to Russia, and there\u2019s no doubt the Wild are looking for more consistency next season and beyond.<\/p>\n
Brock Faber<\/p>\n
Faber, 23, is growing into a franchise defenseman, blending shutdown defending with a blossoming offensive arsenal as he racked up career highs in goals (15) and points (51) this season. The acquisition of Hughes really opened Faber\u2019s eyes to what he can do with the puck. He plays in all situations, and entering the second year of an eight-year deal at $8.5 million AAV, he has future captain written all over him. He\u2019s also not going anywhere, especially since Hughes loves playing with him.<\/p>\n
Quinn Hughes<\/p>\n
The Wild paid a hefty price to land the 2024 Norris Trophy winner (Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and a first-rounder), and he proved to be worth it, transforming the Wild into a serious Cup contender, controlling the game from the back end. Hughes has sounded interested in staying in Minnesota. The only way Hughes moves into a different category on these trade tiers is if there\u2019s an impasse in negotiations or he tells Guerin he doesn\u2019t plan to sign. In that case, the Wild would have no choice but to move him in the next 10 months, but it seems unlikely.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnlikely now\u201dJesper Wallstedt<\/p>\n
It remains to be seen if a true No. 1 center becomes available, but with Filip Gustavsson having offseason hip surgery, it just doesn\u2019t seem logical to trade Wallstedt now. If the Wild don\u2019t make a big splash this summer and Gustavsson returns next season healthy, though, you can bet Guerin would consider using Wallstedt as the cornerstone piece in another blockbuster, especially because he\u2019ll need to be paid handsomely in 2027. After what they gave up for Hughes, the Wild don\u2019t have many attention-grabbing assets anymore. Wallstedt could be that guy.<\/p>\n
Filip Gustavsson<\/p>\n
Offseason hip surgery would likely preclude any team from wanting him, with a new five-year contract ($6.8 million AAV) kicking in July 1. It also carries a no-move until July 1, 2028, but the opportunity to start more elsewhere could eventually persuade him to waive. He said at his end-of-year interview that if the Wild ever approached him about his no-move, he\u2019d look at it as \u201canother team that really wants you. \u2026 If I play good enough, wherever I am, someone\u2019s gonna want to have me as a goalie, and that\u2019s how you have to look at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWould listen on the right deal\u201dDanila Yurov<\/p>\n
There are precious few NHL-ready prospects the Wild can throw into a blockbuster now that Rossi, Buium, Ohgren and Marat Khusnutdinov are gone. The Wild haven\u2019t found use for prospects Carson Lambos and David Spacek, so it\u2019s not like they\u2019d move the needle. Yurov and Stramel may. Yurov skates well, is solid defensively and will only get better offensively. He had a decent rookie year, and it seems it\u2019s just a matter of time before he\u2019s a terrific NHLer, which could be a shame, as he may not be long for this organization.<\/p>\n
Joel Eriksson Ek<\/p>\n
With so few trade assets, the Wild will have to find ways to draw the attention of teams willing to trade top-six centers or wingers, especially with many other teams having the motivation, cap space and assets to pursue those players. If you\u2019re re-signing Hughes and acquiring another top player, you\u2019re going to need to free up cap space, too. Any team would want Eriksson Ek, who has three years left at a bargain $5.125 million (with a no-trade clause that would prevent him from being moved to 10 teams). He plays a hard brand of hockey, which has made him prone to injury, especially at the worst times, including the entire 2023 playoffs, the second half of 2024-25 and the second round this season.<\/p>\n
Jonas Brodin<\/p>\n
Availability is the best ability, and Brodin has missed 94 regular-season games the past four seasons \u2014 at least 20 each season \u2014 plus the entire second round this year. The quandary with trading Eriksson Ek and Brodin is that it\u2019s clear how invaluable they are to the Wild when they\u2019re out. If you trade either, you\u2019d better find suitable replacements.<\/p>\n
Marcus Foligno<\/p>\n
Guerin adores Foligno, who plays the game hard, the way Guerin used to play it (minus the goal scoring). However, he has become a $4 million-per-year fourth-liner. He\u2019s the type of respected veteran that teams covet, and many would find that price palatable. Most offseason trades, though, come pre-July 1, and Foligno\u2019s no-move doesn\u2019t become a 15-team no-trade until July 1. So it seems unlikely.<\/p>\n
Jared Spurgeon<\/p>\n
The 2010 free agent out of juniors is the biggest success story in Wild history, the captain and the record-holder in virtually every defenseman category. He also still plays at a high level, coming off a solid regular season and first round against Dallas before the roof caved in on him in the second round without his partner, Brodin. With one more year at $7.575 million and a no-trade blocking 10 teams, you have to wonder if Guerin would consider it.<\/p>\n
Ryan Hartman<\/p>\n
Hartman can also block 10 teams with his no-trade and has one year left on his contract at $4 million. If the Wild don\u2019t plan to re-sign him past this season, they either have to trade him at the deadline or risk losing him for nothing next July 1. The issue, of course, with trading Hartman is that he\u2019s always an insurance policy for a team with little center depth. He\u2019s about the only player the Wild have ever felt comfortable centering the top line beyond Eriksson Ek.<\/p>\n
Jake Middleton<\/p>\n
Middleton has a no-move clause until July 1, and since most trades happen around the draft, that could protect him until it becomes a 15-team no-trade. Middleton is coming off a miserable second round in which he was on the ice for 13 goals against, including the tying and winning goals in the decisive Game 5. The issue with trading him is that the Wild already have an undersized blue line, and he\u2019s their biggest and most physical defenseman if they don\u2019t re-sign the oft-injured Zach Bogosian. But Daemon Hunt sure looks like he\u2019s turned into an every-night player, and trading Middleton would open the door for the more inexpensive pending restricted free agent.<\/p>\n
The \u201cto make room\u201d category<\/p>\n
These are players who could still be on this team next year but also could be dealt to fit a re-signing UFA \u2014 Michael McCarron, Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Johansson, Vladimir Tarasenko, Nick Foligno, Zach Bogosian, Jeff Petry and Robby Fabbri \u2014 or trade acquisition under the cap.<\/p>\n
Nico Sturm<\/p>\n
We saw the best version of Sturm late in the playoffs, but he wasn\u2019t that guy for most of the season. The two-time Cup winner started late due to a back injury, and that injury played a role in his inconsistency. The Wild spent a second-round pick on McCarron partly because they needed more from Sturm, who was then a healthy scratch down the stretch and for parts of the first round. Sturm only has one year left at a $2 million AAV, but if the Wild pay the high price for McCarron, they could try to move Sturm and sign Nick Foligno closer to the minimum.<\/p>\n
Yakov Trenin<\/p>\n
Trenin had a much better season than in 2024-25, leading the league in hits and providing a big boost in the bottom six. He wasn\u2019t as good in the playoffs, with some costly penalties. He has two years left on his four-year, $3.5 million AAV deal. He could be part of a bigger trade or moved to clear space for another addition. It\u2019s a little concerning that he barely killed penalties down the stretch.<\/p>\n
Daemon Hunt<\/p>\n
Hunt might have played himself into a regular spot on the blue line next season. He stepped in nicely after Brodin\u2019s injury and held his own under the fire of his first playoffs. He can play second or third pair and on the penalty kill. Hunt is an RFA this summer. It would make sense to bring him back unless the Wild truly believe in the future of Viking Gustafsson Nyberg or that Hunt\u2019s inclusion could push a trade over the top.<\/p>\n
Bobby Brink<\/p>\n
Brink showed flashes in his first foray in Minnesota. The Minnetonka native has playmaking ability, is relentless on the forecheck and plays a two-way game. However, he didn\u2019t get much time in the playoffs other than a few games when Zuccarello was hurt. The pending RFA is likely to return but will have to earn his spot in the lineup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 This should be one fascinating summer for the Minnesota Wild. Expectations are higher than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":666209,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66],"tags":[4828,385,99],"class_list":["post-666208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-minnesota-wild","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=666208"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/666208\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/666209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=666208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=666208"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=666208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}