The Minnesota Wild missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024. And the general feeling entering this season was that Minnesota would struggle to make the playoffs in 2025. However, the Wild have played rather well so far. Kirill Kaprizov has emerged as a Hart Trophy candidate in the early going as Minnesota holds onto second place in the Central Division.
The Wild are looking good in the early going, and if this continues, they could be buyers at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Minnesota is up against the salary cap at this time. But they can certainly work with other teams on some creative ways to add to their roster.
Wild fans have to be thrilled with what they've seen to this point. In the coming weeks, the team will start laying the groundwork for potential trades to strengthen their roster. With this in mind, here are two Wild trade scenarios for the team to consider early on. Adding either of these players could pay dividends in any upcoming playoff push.
Wild could trade for Sharks' Mikael Granlund
One area for potential improvement for the Wild is on offense. Minnesota is not a poor offensive team by any means. They are 12th in the league in terms of Goals For Per 60 Minutes at 5v5, according to Evolving Hockey. Moreover, they are 17th in terms of GF/60 on the power play. They own the 14th most successful power play in the league, according to ESPN.
The Wild could certainly look to add a middle-six forward this season. San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund could be one potential option for Minnesota. The veteran forward is coming off a resurgent 60-point season for San Jose. He recorded 23 of those 60 points on the man advantage.
Granlund's resurgence has continued in 2024-25. He is producing at a point-per-game pace for a Sharks team that lost each of its first nine games of the season. His power play performance has stayed steady, as well. In fact, half of his 14 points so far have come while the Sharks have been up a man.
The Wild could certainly benefit from adding a player of Granlund's caliber. His $5 million salary certainly makes things difficult for Minnesota given their salary cap situation. However, he is a free agent in July 2025, so it should be less difficult to find a way to fit him into the roster.
Wild should consider Islanders' Kyle Palmieri
Another potential option for the Wild is veteran New York Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri. The 33-year-old is also coming off a strong resurgent season in 2023-24. Palmieri scored 30 goals for the first time since 2015-16 and ended the year with 54 points.
Palmieri has also shown the ability to produce on the power play. 10 of his 30 goals from a year ago came with the man advantage. He added another 10 assists on the power play, as well. The Islanders forward is off to another fine start. In fact, he is the only New York skater with more than 10 points in the early going. In saying this, only two of his 11 points have come on the power play.
Palmieri can certainly get going once he has a better power play unit around him. But it is worth noting that his $5 million salary makes things difficult even as a pending unrestricted free agent. Palmieri also has a 16-team no-trade clause, which complicates matters. Especially given that he is a New York native playing for a New York-based team.
If the Wild can convince him of their playoff ambition, a trade becomes possible. He could help give them a boost offensively as the season goes along. And he could become a valuable veteran presence once the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in April.
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