The Minnesota Wild are entering the 2023-24 season in a very uncertain spot. The squad as constructed on paper is good enough to make the playoffs, but the team hasn't won a postseason round since 2015 — nearly a decade ago. Something needs to change for the State of Hockey in order to have postseason success, but so far, that remains a huge question mark.

One place the Wild have always struggled is down the middle. Currently, they boast a superstar in Kirill Kaprizov and a budding star in Matthew Boldy, but both players are wingers. Ryan Hartman really struggled as the 1C last season, and Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello would very much benefit from trying someone else in that spot in 2023-24. That could be Joel Eriksson Ek, who seems poised to continue last season's success after breaking out with 23 goals and 61 points in 78 games. After Eriksson Ek and Hartman, Frederick Gaudreau and Marco Rossi are serviceable bottom-six centers, but likely aren't ready for a jump to the top-six just yet.

Defensive depth is also a place where the Wild could improve, especially after losing John Klingberg to the Toronto Maple Leafs and Matt Dumba to the Arizona Coyotes in NHL Free Agency. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin will be relied upon to anchor the first and second pairings, respectively, but there is room for improvement on the blueline.

Wild are in a tough spot

The Wild could use an upgrade both at the top of their offensive depth chart and at the bottom of their defensive one, but GM Bill Guerin is in an extremely tough spot in 2023. The team just doesn't have a lot of money to work with, especially after the monstrous, 13-year contracts that were given to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter back in 2012. Both of those contracts were bought out in 2021, and that money is still on the books in 2023. It hamstrings the team by eating up a ton of cap space and leaving the squad in dire financial straits.

“I would have loved to have been more active [in free agency],” Bill Guerin said earlier this week, per Jessi Pierce of NHL.com. “At certain times of the day you get frustrated, but then you look at your board and you realize that most of your team is already intact. For the most part, our team is together and we're happy with that.”

Despite Guerin's comments, it's really difficult to work with only about $1.6 million in cap space, which is what CapFriendly predicts the team at going into next season. The only two names Minnesota inked in the offseason via free agency are centers Jacob Lucchini and Vinni Lettieri. Neither player is going to move the needle too much. On the bright side, Guerin was able to extend the goaltender of the future in Filip Gustavsson, as well as Marcus Johansson and Gaudreau.

Ideal trade target: Mark Scheifele

What the Minnesota Wild really need, and have been lacking since the days of Mikko Koivu, is a top-six centerman. Bill Guerin will need to target one in a trade rather than overpaying for one in free agency. Enter Mark Scheifele, whose time with the Winnipeg Jets seems very likely to be coming to an end. His contract expires next summer and a contract extension between the two sides is unlikely — Scheifele is one of the NHL's top trade targets heading into next season.

The Wild simply need an upgrade at center if they hope to have playoff success. The hopes are still high for former No. 9 overall pick Marco Rossi, but Hartman and Eriksson Ek as 1C and 2C leaves something to be desired. Scheifele is a high-end 1C who would immediately become the best center on the team, and could finally give Kaprizov the elite pivot he deserves in 2023-24. The Canadian had scored at a point-per-game clip over the past six seasons before last year, and he set a career-high with a phenomenal 42 tucks last season.

He's also making just $6 million next season, which is a bargain for a player of his skill set. If Guerin can find a way to trade for Mark Scheifele and extend him to a short or moderate term deal, it would pay off for both the team, and the 30-year-old with a change of scenery.

Minnesota is a team that continues to try and find a way to have playoff success, and they'll be hard-pressed to make the playoffs at all next year in a very competitive Western Conference. If the Wild brass want to win a playoff round for the first time since 2015, a top-six center is needed, and Guerin should look no further than the Winnipeg Jets as a trade partner.