The Minnesota Wild have already made one trade this offseason, shipping out Vinni Lettieri to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Jakub Lauko. The 24-year-old is a former third-round pick by the B's, and figures to start the 2024-25 NHL season on the team's fourth line. Besides signing Yakov Trenin from the Nashville Predators and locking up young defenseman Jacob Middleton, Bill Guerin and the Wild's front office haven't been too busy this offseason.
The additions of Lauko and Trenin certainly make this team deeper offensively, but there's probably more work to be done if the franchise hopes to rectify missing the postseason in 2024 — the first time it had happened in five years — come next April. And with scoring depth still a need for this roster, there are a couple of players around the league who could use a change of scenery, and could benefit Minnesota's squad next season and potentially beyond.
Here are a few names Guerin should be keeping tabs on as we approach the dog days of the National Hockey League offseason.
Oliver Wahlstrom badly needs a change of scenery
There's no doubt that a lack of scoring is one of the primary culprits behind a rare missed postseason in the State of Hockey. Only five of the team's forwards scored 20 goals or more, per NHL.com: Kirill Kaprizov, 46; Joel Eriksson Ek, 30; Matt Boldy, 29; Ryan Hartman, 21; and Marco Rossi, 21.
The Wild will certainly be hoping for bounce-back campaigns from Frederick Gaudreau (five goals), Marcus Johansson (11) and Marcus Foligno (10), as well as a strong season from 21-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov, who signed his entry-level contract back in February and finished the season with a goal and four points in 16 games with Minnesota in 2023-24.
But it's no secret that the team would benefit from adding a player from outside of the organization. Enter New York Islanders forward Oliver Wahlstrom, who came with high hopes when he was drafted 11th overall by the Isles in the 2018 NHL Draft. He's struggled mightily to produce in Long Island, especially last season.
The 24-year-old had a brutal year, chipping in just six points in 32 games a year after putting up 16 in 35 games in 2022-23. The Wahlstrom experience is just not working in New York, but this is still a skilled offensive player who scored 22 goals in 26 games for the US National Development Program back in 2017-18.
He's a big body at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, and there's few players in the league who would probably benefit from a change of scenery more than the Yarmouth, Maine native. The price tag has certainly been lowered after a couple of really tough seasons, and who knows what could happen if he's given an opportunity with a true star player like Kaprizov, Boldy or Eriksson Ek.
Wahlstrom has completely fallen out of favor on Long Island, and as a restricted free agent, his services could be acquired at a very reasonable cost. The Wild are strapped tight to the salary cap, especially with the buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise still on the books, but this would be a savvy add for this Minnesota roster.
Kaapo Kakko could be a nice addition to Wild forward group
Although Kaapo Kakko would likely cost quite a bit more than Wahlstrom, he's another player who has struggled in New York — just with the Rangers, not the Islanders. The 23-year-old was selected No. 2 overall in the 2019 NHL Draft — behind just New Jersey Devils superstar Jack Hughes, and like Wahlstrom, he hasn't lived up to expectations.
Kakko signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract extension with New York in the middle of June, but that hasn't stopped his name from swirling in trade rumors all summer. Unlike Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil, who seem to be slowly but surely improving, that doesn't seem to be the case for Kakko. He scored just 19 points in 61 games last year, and that was after a promising season that saw the youngster pot 18 goals and 40 points over a full 82-game slate in 2022-23.
Kakko has already been linked to the Wild, and the Rangers have been dangling him as trade bait for quite a while now. Although it could end up being a blockbuster, Guerin and the front office should seriously consider acquiring the Finn. He's still a young, skilled offensive player, and hasn't really gotten great opportunities with top linemates. Without exposure to Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on the top line, or Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck on line two, there's limits to his upside in New York.
But what about on the opposite wing of Kaprizov or Boldy? It would certainly be an interesting experiment, and could pay dividends if the former World Junior champion can find his scoring touch on a new team. That's especially true if it helps the Wild return to the dance in 2025.
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