The Minnesota Wild made a huge statement with their decision to make the boldest move of the current season when they traded for Quinn Hughes Friday night. It was not an easy move for general manager Bill Guerin, but it was one that he considered a necessity if the Wild were going to join the elite teams in the NHL and have a legitimate chance to compete for the Stanley Cup.
The Wild are getting close to that status. They signed superstar Kirill Kaprizov to a major contract extension prior to the start of the season. Guerin told Kaprizov that the the Wild were not done and they would add other key players to help the team gain momentum in the NHL. The acquisition of Hughes indicates that Guerin has the full intention of keeping his promise.
Trading for the Canucks superstar defenseman was not an easy move, and there is quite a bit that went into it. There is a possibility that there could be some short-term pain because the Wild sent defenseman Zeev Buium, center Marco Rossi and winger Liam Ohgrean along with a first-round pick to the Canucks.
Buium has all the tools to become a star blue liner, but he is not there yet. However, the 21-year-old is the center piece for the Canucks in the trade. Rossi is an effective center, but he is not an elite player. He is best-suited for a spot on the third line. Ohgren was a first-round draft choice in 2022, but he has not done anything to indicate that he will be a decent contributor at the NHL level.
Wild needs a first-line center
The trade of Rossi means that the Wild can use a first-line center to play between Kaprizov and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Wild have Joel Eriksson Ek as the center on their No. 2 line between Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson, and that's exactly where he belongs. That line is producing extremely well and Boldy (17 goals and 18 assists in 31 games) is on the verge of superstardom himself.
But youngster Danila Yurov is a developing talent and he is not ready to play center for Kaprizov and Tarasenko. He can do that on a short-term basis and possibly fill in nicely, but the Wild would ideally like to have a sharp, experienced and skillful center between those two when the playoffs get underway in April.
Pettersson, Schmaltz or O'Reilly could fill the bill
Perhaps Guerin could go back to the Canucks and try to extract Elias Pettersson. The Canucks are off to a painful 11-17-3 start and they are in last place in the Pacific Division. If the Canucks are cleaning house, Pettersson could be extracted and turned into a Minnesota mainstay.
That may not be a realistic move. If they can't acquire Pettersson in a trade, Nick Schmaltz of the Utah Mammoth and Ryan O'Reilly of the Nashville Predators could be available.
Schmaltz is one of the most underrated players in the league and he has scored 12 goals and added 17 assists in 33 games. He sees the ice well and could even pick up his scoring total if he was surrounded by Kaprizov and Tarasenko. O'Reilly is a former Stanley Cup winner, and while he may no longer be at his peak, he sees the ice brilliantly and can set up star teammates. He has 10 goals and 13 assists to this point in the season.
Wild are well-positioned for solid run
The halfway point of the season is within reach and the Wild (39 points) find themselves in third place in the Central Division of the Western Conference. This division is currently ruled by the Colorado Avalanche (51 points) and the Dallas Stars (47 points) are in second place. The Wild have have a six-point lead over the Utah Mammoth and they also have two games in hand.
The Wild appear to have an excellent chance to secure a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs and there's a good chance that Hughes will assert himself in the Minnesota lineup shortly. He is arguably the No. 2 defenseman in the NHL behind Colorado's Cale Makar, and his skating ability will allow the Wild to show significant offensive improvement.
Bringing in a center who can play with the highly skilled Kaprizov and Tarasenko is the next move that could turn the Wild into legitimate Stanley Cup contenders.
