Trade Rumours: Jets to move core pieces, while the Wild could look to re-sign RFA’s and get a top 6 Center.
Offseason plans, Jets will most likely shake up core and could be a very busy team trying to rebuild the team, while has cap problems and need to sign their RFA’s as well as maybe getting a top line Center.
Winnipeg Jets
Significant Pending UFA:
LW,RW,C V.Namestnikov 8-17-25 77GP
LW A.J Fjallby 6-8-14 50GP
RW,C S.Gagner 8-6-14 48GP
RW,LW S.Maenalanen 4-6-10 64GP
RW K.Kuhlman 3-4-7 47GP
G D.Rittich 9-8-0 REC 2.68 GAA .901 SV%
G M.Berdin 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
C P.L Dubois 27-36-63 73GP
LW,C,RW M.Barron 8-13-21 70GP
C,RW K.Stenlund 6-3-9 54GP
LD L.Stanley 1-2-3 19GP
LD D.Samberg 2-6-8 63GP
G A.Holm 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Current draft capital for Jets in 2023: 5
1RD WIN
3RD WIN
5RD WIN,NYR
7RD WIN
What lead the Jets to exit the first round of the playoffs this year: now it was a difficult path to the playoffs for the Jets as they weren’t always playing consistent hockey and were able to just narrowly keep ahead of the Predators and Flames for the final spot in the playoffs, and they also started the playoffs off strong with a great victory over the Knights but would then collapse and loss 4 straight to lose the series in 5, so it was not a great playoff performance from the Jets and there were definitely some reasons as to why the left in round 1.
Number one in my eyes would be the fact that injuries took a pretty significant toll on the Jets in the playoffs. Now the team started the playoffs with two of their top 6 forwards out due to injuries in Ehlers and Perfetti and that did hurt their offense a bit but they would continue to get injured, as forward David Gustafsson missed a couple of games in the series due to a injury and then on top of those guys the Jets would lose Morrissey in the 1st period of game 3 and he also missed games 4 and 5 due to injuries, while Scheifele left Game 4 due to a injury and also missed game 5, and even though Ehlers was back for Game 5 for the Jets it still wasn’t enough for the Jets. So the fact that the team had two top 6 forwards out for all 5 playoff games as Ehlers missed the first 4 and Scheifele the last one with Perfetti missing all six and not having their best defender in Morrissey for half of the series really hurt this team and was a major reason why the Jets bowed out in round 1 in only 5 games.
Next up would be the fact that they got themselves in major holes that were extremely difficult to get out of against the Golden Knights. Now the Jets were able to dominate in the first game of the series and the 2nd game of the series was pretty close until the Knights got a couple of 3rd period goals to give themselves a lead, but in the other three games they dug themselves into a hole that was extremely difficult to get out of. Now in game 3 they were in a 4-1 hole entering the 3rd period until they were able to come back to life and tie the game at 4 late in the 3rd before winding up losing in double OT, in game 4 they would find themselves down 3-1 entering the third period and even after cutting the lead to 3-2 they would wind up losing 4-2, and then in a must win game 5 they dug themselves into a 4-0 hole before they even hit the halfway point of the game and wound up losing 4-1 so in the last three games of the series they found themselves down multiple goals and even though they were able to force OT in game 3, they didn’t have enough fire power with the injured forwards to come back and the Knights defence was able to shut the game down once they got a lead, so in my opinion digging themselves into multi goal holes entering the 3rd period in the last 3 games was a death sentence and I think that had they not been that far behind in a couple of game, maybe the come out on top in the series, but that was definitely one of the reasons I feel why they exited the playoffs in round 1.
And lastly would be the fact that Hellebuyck didn’t play to the best of his abilities in the playoffs. Now Hellebuyck has been a top 10 goalie in the NHL over the past few years and is a stellar starter who has been carrying the Jets to the playoffs over the past few seasons and has had solid regular season numbers always seeming to put up at least a .910 SV% and a under 2.90 GAA and that was exactly the case for this year as he was able to put up his best season since he won the Vezina in the 19-20 season as he had a .920 SV% and a 2.49 GAA and what was more impressive is he made 8 more starts then the year he won the Vezina and he is a Vezina nominee this year too, so he had a outstanding regular season but in the playoffs couldn’t help contain the Knights offensive attack as he gave up at least 3 goals in the final 4 games including giving up 5 in two of them which with the Jets having a banged up forward group really made it hard for them to recover and compete with the Knights being down so many goals and I think the play from Hellebuyck which was below average from him was another reason the Jets fell in the first round to the Golden Knights.
So in my eyes the injuries to 3 key top 6 forwards plus their best defensemen, the fact that they dug themselves in really hard to get out of holes in the final 3 games of the series and Hellebuyck not looking like regular season Hellebuyck all played significant roles in the Jets bowing out after only 5 games in the 1st round and I think that they will need to do quite a lot in the offseason to compete with a team like Vegas but I definitely think there will be a few changes to the team over the offseason to try to improve this team although I think that may be a tad difficult to do.
5 ways of how I think the Jets can improve in the offseason.
.1) Move Hellebuyck and figure out your tandem for next year.
So now the Jets have one heck of a off season ahead of him, as there are a ton of questions that need answered, including in Net as it sounds like it is very likely that he may be moved at some point this offseason and if he is then they have to figure out who their tandem is next year.
Now the Jets may very well start a rebuild this year and go through a fire sale, and that starts with the net minder in Connor Hellebuyck. Now Hellebuyck has been a fantastic goalie over his career in Winnipeg as he has always seemed to put up good numbers as beside this years playoffs, he has always put up at least a .900 SV% which is absolutely fantastic and has on multiple occasions carried the Jets to the playoffs or through the regular season and kept them in games they most likely shouldn’t be in and has even won the Vezina in the 19-20 season and is nominated for it this year, but now it seems like it might be coming to a head, as Hellebuyck is in the final year of his deal and will be a UFA next offseason, is due for a monster pay raise, and recent reports have come out that have said he doesn’t want to extend with the Jets which might be the nail in the coffin. Now the Jets could keep him for next year and hope he can lead him to the playoffs and beyond but they don’t want to lose the all star goalie for nothing next offseason so more likely then not I say that Hellebuyck will be moved at some point this offseason, and I think the Jets could get a pretty hefty amount in return for Hellebuyck just given how good he is, but if Hellebuyck is gone who is their tandem for next year. Now if Hellebuyck is gone then the team could try and get a goalie back in return as I do think in teams like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, LA, Ottawa or Detroit who all seem to have interest they could probably get a young goalie back, but if they don’t they may have to go and look via free agency as their backup in Rittich is a pending UFA this year and the Jets may lose him too, so they would have to go in either the free agency market or via trade to replace their two goalies because they do have a couple of okay goalies in the minors between Berdin and Holm, but I am not too sure they are ready for NHL action, so maybe grabbing a guy like UPL or Murray in the trade market or a guy like Brossoit, Reimer or Raanta in free agency is the way they go, but with Hellebuyck not willing to re-sign in Winnipeg and most likely being dealt this offseason and Rittich being a UFA, I think the Jets could debut two new goalies next offseason and whether it is someone in their system or who they acquire via trade or free agency, expect big changes to happen to the Jets goalie group this offseason.
.2) Move both top Center’s in Scheifele and PLD and maybe also Wheeler.
Now on top of Hellebuyck, there is a lot of talk out there that the Jets may also move on from 3 of their top 6 forwards in Scheifele, Dubois and Wheeler as Wheeler and Scheifele are entering the final year of their deals and it sounds like Dubois won’t sign long term because he eventually wants to go to Montreal.
Now the Jets have a lot of players in the final year of their deal who may not want to sign long term with the Jets and one of those guys is PLD. Now Dubois said as early as last year that he wasn’t wanting to sign long term in Winnipeg and most think his end goal was to be a Hab at the earliest possible time, so that would’ve most likely been the 24 offseason when he would’ve been eligible to be a unrestricted free agent, but after signing his qualifying offer last year and becoming a RFA again this year, there have been reports that Dubois isn’t even interested in signing his qualifying offer with Winnipeg this year and wants out of the Jets organization. Now the team doesn’t have to move him, but to possibly give up a top line Center that has hit the 60 point mark in both of his 2 full season with the Jets, including a career high 63 points last year for nothing I think is something the Jets simply can’t do, so a trade is honestly the most likely opinion, so in my eyes the Jets would have a few options with a trade, as they could move him to a team who needs a Center for the upcoming year but they probably wouldn’t get a overly great return because he wouldn’t sign long term, and if they try to move him to Montreal so he can sign long term there a year early, the Habs would know he wants to go there and they wouldn’t give up as much to the Jets, so it isn’t the best of scenarios for Winnipeg but at some point this year I would say the Jets move him, and not to say they don’t get a good return for him, I just think they won’t get a huge return for him, and then Scheifele and Wheeler could also be on the move as well.
Now both of those guys are entering the final year of their deal, just like Hellebuyck and it seems like those two could be moved, now although I haven’t heard anything about them not wanting to sign extensions, it sounds like both players could be solid options to be dealt, as Scheifele would probably be the easier to move as his cap hit is not as high as Wheeler’s, he has been a solid top line Center these past few years, he is younger then Wheeler, and is coming off of a couple of stellar point production seasons, and if they do move Scheifele then they could be able to get quite a haul in return for him, and the Jets may need to retain some money to wind up moving Wheeler as his cap hit is pretty high and he is getting up there in age, but he is also entering the final year of his deal and can put up solid numbers in a middle six role, so in my eyes I think it is a given that the Jets move on from Dubois at some point this offseason and don’t be overly shocked if the Jets also wind up moving one or both of Scheifele or Wheeler as those two may not want to sign long term in Winnipeg, and definitely let me know where you think these three guys could end up in the offseason down in the comments.
.3) Give guys such as Lucius, Lambert and Heinola more opportunities next year.
Now with the Jets most likely moving these four key players on their team this year, I think it will be important to bring in some more young talent and I think some of their better prospects could get some serious looks and and maybe some could be consistent NHL forward next year.
Now the Jets could move on from some players like Scheifele, Wheeler, Dubois and Hellebuyck and if they can’t find too many solid players to help fill those roles I do think they could have some of their younger players in the system play full time at the NHL level next year. Now as I said the Jets could run with a entirely different goaltending tandem next year with Rittich a UFA and Hellebuyck entering the final year of his deal and most likely being a trade chip, I do wonder if one of their young goalies in Holm or Salminen get a look to at least be a part of a tandem next year, as both are Holm is a free agent and would need to be signed and both don’t have any NHL games under their belt, but they both look like they could be at least a backup at the NHL level and I do wonder if they get a look, another would be on the defensive side as they do have some decent prospects in Salomonsson and Kuzmin but the one guys who should be a NHL player next year is Heinola, who should have already been a consistent NHL defender and if they have to move a guy like Dillon or Stanley to make it work I think they would as Heinola is too good for the NHL and I would be surprised if he wasn’t in the NHL next year.
Then on the forward group they have a couple of good young prospects who could challenge for a playoff spot in a couple years in Chibrikov and Torgersson and one who just became a regular in Perfetti, but two of the Jets top prospects in Lambert and Lucius I think could seriously challenge for a roster spot next year. Both Lucius and Lambert started with Manitoba who is the AHL affiliate in Winnipeg and then were moved back to juniors to finish their seasons, and both didn’t look out of place in the AHL and finished the season strong in the WHL, so I could see one or both go back to the minors to continue to grow next year, but if they move on from 3 key forwards it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they at least have one or both a look, and both former 1RD picks look like the could eventually be top 6 forwards in Winnipeg, and at this point in time I would say that Lambert is maybe a bit more NHL ready then Lucius is, but both look solid and even though I think Lambert would make it if they only brought in one, I could see both make the NHL next year and it will be interesting to see, but I feel that some of these younger players may be able to get bigger roles at the NHL level if the Jets move some of these players and I would not be shocked if guys like Lambert, Lucius and Heinola made the team next year.
.4) Bring in a couple top 9 forwards.
Now if the Jets aren’t able to get NHL players in return in some trades or they aren’t fully ready to have some of the younger players be full time NHLers, then I think a possibility for the Jets would be that they would look at the free agency and maybe trade market to add some top 9 forwards, as with some guys UFA’s and some of their top end talent wanting out, it sounds like the Jets could need some more forward help and could look to those places to get it.
Now I think even if they got some decent pieces back for their big time forwards or they let their young guys play, they could still benefit from adding some more forward help, but it does depend on what direction they go. Now if they are indeed looking to retool and are not looking to go through a rebuild, then they may be in contention to sign forwards such as Tarasenko, Bertuzzi, or Toews, but if they team was going down more of a rebuilding path and wanted to maybe just sign some veterans on 1-2 year deals to round out their roster, they could go after a guy like Monahan, Drouin, Foligno or Suter to try and round out their middle six and they could look to get pieces back in whatever trade they make to deal guys like Dubois or Hellebuyck, but I could see them maybe try and get some lower end pieces on the trade market such as Bailey, Mantha or Labanc as well, so there are many different options right now in Winnipeg, but they could be looking for some forward help this offseason and whether via free agency or trade I think they could use some help and even if they go down the rebuild path, their are still options for them to round out their forward group.
.5) Also move one of Stanley, Dillon or DeMelo.
And finally here I now we have talked a lot already about some significant players in Winnipeg who could be on their way out, but this team also has a logjam at the defensive position and if they are going to give younger players such as Heinola and Samberg more opportunities next year, they may have to move out a D-Men or two and the likely candidates in my opinion would be one of Stanley, Dillon or DeMelo.
Now all three of these players I think is likely to possibly be moved to make room on the blueline for younger players such as Heinola or Samberg, and I think there may be a option to move at least one of these guys at some point in the offseason. Now I think of the three, Dillon would be the hardest to move based on the fact that he is the oldest of the three, he has the highest cap hit at $3.9 Million on his AAV, and he also hasn’t been playing overly well these past few seasons, but he is still a solid 3rd pair defensemen who is a veteran and could help a younger team as he does have a lot of experience, and he is in the final year of his deal so maybe the Jets wouldn’t be opposed to retain some of his salary, so although he would be the toughest to move and the Jets wouldn’t get a fantastic return for him, I do think there would be a way to move on from Dillon if he is the guy the Jets want to move. As for DeMelo he is in the same sort of boat as Dillon is, as he is also entering the final year of his contract at a pretty decent cap hit of $3 Million dollars, but unlike Dillon, DeMelo has actually been a pretty good top 4 defensemen in Winnipeg even sometimes playing top pair minutes with offensive powerhouse Morrissey, and although he won’t put up very many points, he is a solid defensive defensemen and could work well with another team in the top 4 and could very well compliment a solid offensive defensemen, so I think DeMelo would have some more interest and the Jets could get a better return for him. And finally I think Stanley could also bring in a solid return for the Jets.
Now Stanley has only played a couple of years in the NHL and sort of spilt time between being a healthy scratch and a solid 3rd pair defensemen, but he hasn’t gotten as much playing time as I think he hoped and that is why it sounded like he requested a trade out at the deadline and it never happened, but Stanley is a young and big defender who would work great on a teams 3rd pair and is a RFA, so in my eyes, I could see a team taking a chance on him and signing him to a new deal and he could get Winnipeg a solid return as well, so whether it is Stanley or DeMelo or Dillon, I feel at least one if not two will be moved to make room for younger players and I would love to hear which you think is most likely to be moved in your opinion down in the comments.
So in my eyes the Jets could look at a whole new goalie tandem next year if Rittich goes to free agency and they move Hellebuyck, they could also look to deal Dubois, Scheifele and Wheeler if they don’t want to remain in Winnipeg, I also think some younger guys like Lambert and Heinola could make the team, they could also go after a couple of top 9 forwards, and move maybe a defensemen such as DeMelo or Stanley, and I think if the Jets did all of those they would probably be heading down the road of a rebuild, and I can’t see them remaining in the playoffs next year if they have to move on from those 4 core guys, so in my eyes the Jets have a extremely interesting offseason ahead and if they do what I think they will do then they may be a worse team next year, but it is quite possible that it is inevitable.
If you liked this blog post, then check out my YouTube video on the Jets offseason here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H8iE61r7W40&t=1508s
Minnesota Wild
Significant Pending UFA:
LW,RW G.Nyquist 11-16-27 51GP
RW,C O.Sundqvist 10-18-28 67GP
RW R.Reaves 5-10-15 73GP
RD M.Dumba 4-10-14 79GP
RD J.Klingberg 10-23-33 67GP
LD/RD D.Mermis 0-0-0 2GP
G I.McIntyre 0-0-0 REC 0.00 GAA .000 SV%
Significant Pending RFA:
LW,C M.Shaw 7-10-17 59GP
RW,LW B.Duhaime 9-1-10 51GP
C,LW S.Steel 10-18-28 65GP
C D.Giroux 0-1-1 1GP
RD C.Addison 3-26-29 62GP
G F.Gustavsson 22-9-3 REC 2.10 GAA .931 SV%
Current draft capital for Wild in 2023: 6
1RD MIN
2RD MIN, VGK
5RD MIN
6RD MIN
7RD MIN
What lead the Wild to exit the first round of the playoffs this year: now for the Wild they had a strong regular season this year as even though they were a tad weaker then the year prior they were challenging for top spot in the Central for basically the entire year and they ran out of gas in the final 2 weeks and had to settle for 3rd in the division and took the Stars in the first round and everyone said that that series would be quite even and Minnesota was a team no one wanted to face in the playoffs and they did have a strong showing but after going up 2-1 they would drop 3 in a row and lose the series in 6 to the Stars, and even though it was a hard played and very complete game, there were a few reasons as to why I think they exited the playoffs in round 1.
So first would be their scoring issues that happened between games 4-6. Now in the first three games of the series the Wild were able to score pretty well and were able to get two wins by scoring at least 3 goals in each of those first three games but after that it became the Jake Oettinger show as the Stars Net minder basically shutdown the Wild’s offensive attack for games 4 through 6 and was a big reason as to why the the Stars won 3 straight games as the Stars were able to hold Minnesota to a average of 1 goal against per game as they held them to 2 in game 4, shut them out in game 5 and only gave up 1 in game 6 and Oettinger was definitely the big factor in that as he stopped 82 of 85 shots in those last three games of the series and came through when it mattered most as he shutdown the Wild offensive attack and helped the Stars gain leads in each of those 3 games and then helped hold down the fort when Minnesota pushed to keep those leads and help Dallas flip that series, so in my eyes the laser focus of Oettinger in the final 3 games of the series was probably the biggest reason the Wild bowed out after round 1.
Next would be the fact that the Wild couldn’t do anything right to stop the Stars power play unit. Now the Wild during the regular season had a top 10 penalty kill that had a 82% success rate and was one of the stronger suits for the Wild, but it really flopped in the playoffs as the Stars power play attack was able to exploit the Wild’s PK as the Wild were only able to get a 62.5% success rate on the PK which was second lowest in the playoffs only above LA who had a historic power play in Edmonton to deal with, so the Wild’s PK collapsed as they were only able to kill off 13 of the Stars 22 power plays and the Stars always scored in inopportune times for the Wild and in 3 of their 4 wins in the series they were able to get multiple power play goals and was one of the ways the Stars were able to attack the Wild, so the lack of a strong PK really hurt the Wild and giving up all those PPG’s was another reason they left in the 1st round.
And finally was the fact that the big boys didn’t come to play for the Wild. Now the Wild new they were facing off against a high octane offense in the Dallas stars and would need to bring their A game offensively, but the big time players in Minnesota fell flat in that first round series. First would be Kaprizov who in his few playoff games up to this year had been a driving force on the Wild’s offense and was really a extremely dangerous player, but the Stars shut him down so well that he only had 1 goal and point in these playoffs and when your best goal scorer can’t get on the board it makes it really difficult to get anything going, then top offensive defensemen Matt Dumba was only able to come away with 2 assists, budding young star Boldy was only able to muster 3 assists in that series, and only 4 players on this Wild team were able to put up more then 3 points in the series and two of them were deadline acquisitions in Nyquist and Klingberg, so it was a really bad showing from the Wild offense and when your two young Stars are only able to combine for 4 points it is a huge problem and the lack of offensive prowess from the high end talent on this team was another big reason the Wild lost in round 1 in 6 games.
And I strongly feel that the Oettinger show in games 4 through 6, the lack of a PK from Minnesota and the fact that offensive powerhouses in Kaprizov and Boldy were not able to muster anything against Dallas were all reasons the Wild exited round 1 and after a solid season this team wasn’t able to make it past the first round yet again, but they still have the makings of a solid team and even though they are to continue to have a bad cap problem, I think with a few tweaks to the lineup this year, they should remain a solid team and maybe they will be able to make it past round 1 next year.
5 Ways of how I think the Wild can improve in the offseason.
.1) Sign Gustavsson, Addison and Duhaime to new deals.
Now the first order of business for the Wild is to keep their good young players under contract beyond this year, and even though they are tight to the cap, I think signing guys like Gustavsson who showed how good of a goalie he can be this year, Addison who was a offensive powerhouse on the blueline and Duhaime who was a solid bottom six forward are probably priority number 1 this year for the Wild.
Now the Wild got Gustavsson in a 1 for 1 trade last offseason with Ottawa for Talbot, and that is a trade they definitely won as Talbot was injured and didn’t play well, while after a few rough seasons playing in Ottawa, Gustavsson had his breakout season this year as he had a .931 SV% and a 2.10 GAA in 39 games this year and splitting time with Fleury he did do fantastic this year after a couple of bad years in Ottawa, now I think that they would most likely sign Gustavsson to a bridge deal just because of the cap issues the Wild face this offseason, but I would t be surprised if they signed him to a 2-4 year contract extension that has a cap hit of $2.5-4 Million dollars per year and I think that could work for both sides as it would give Minnesota their tandem goalie for the next few years and lead Gustavsson to free agency, so I don’t think it will be a long term extension or one that is overly cheap, but I do think the two sides will be able to work out a contract at some point in the offseason. As for Addison he was acquired a couple of years back in the Jason Zucker trade with Pittsburgh and was viewed as a solid top 4 D prospect, and was finally able to be a consistent NHL defender this year as he was able to get into 62 NHL games and put up a solid 3 goals and 29 points and looks like in time he could be a solid top 4 defender, and even though he didn’t finish the season all too well as after the deadline he got bumped out of the lineup and was a healthy scratch to finish the regular season and playoffs, he is still a good defender and with Dumba not being back next year, having a offensive defensemen like Addison replace a offensive guy like Dumba in the lineup next year makes sense and I could see him sign a $2-3 Million dollar deal for the next year or two as he could sign a extension when the deal is done and the Wild would be out of cap hell and the cap would go up, so in my eyes I think a shorter term deal makes more sense for Addison, but I think the Wild like the player and view him as a long term option in their top 4. And finally with Duhaime, he is another guy I could see get a increased role next year due to the Wilds cap situation. Now Duhaime has been a consistent 4th line forward over the past two seasons and put up some solid numbers for a 4th line player, and I think could get a 2-5 year contract this offseason at maybe a $1.5-2.5 Million dollar cap hit, but the Wild might be losing some good offensive talent in the top 9 and if they aren’t able to replace them, then I think a guy like Duhaime may be able to be a solid 3rd line winger next year for Minnesota as I think he could handle the bigger role in Minnesota, so in my eyes the Wild have a couple of players to sign in Gustavsson, Addison and Duhaime and I think all will get extensions as they have shown they are big parts of the Wild team and the Wild could use them in bigger roles if they can’t replace some of the guys they lose this offseason.
.2) Give young D-Men like Addison, Faber or Lambos big roles next year.
Now the Wild could lose a few key pieces this offseason on the blueline in longtime defender Matt Dumba and in season acquisition Klingberg, but instead of replacing these guys externally, I think the Wild might very well replace those guys internally, as I think at least Addison and Faber if not also Lambos are all ready for NHL roles as early as next year.
Now the Wild are most likely going to lose both Dumba and Klingberg this offseason as both are UFA’s and most likely out of the Wild price range, but instead of trying to replace them via trade or free agency, u think they will give their young players a look. Now the Wild have some solid D prospects and I think one could argue they have the best prospect pool on the defensive side, but there are 3 younger players who I think could challenge for full time roles next year. First is Addison as we talked about earlier, he had his first taste of being a full time NHL defender this past year but was a healthy scratch toward the end of the year, but with how well he played offensively this year I wouldn’t be too shocked at all if he took Dumba’s regular spot in the lineup and rounded out the top 4 in Minnesota going forward with Spurgeon, Middleton and Brodin and if he was a consistent 2nd pair D-Men next year with Brodin, and I think that would be a solid duo as Brodin is a solid defensive defensemen and would compliment Addison well, so don’t be surprised if Addison is a top 4 defender next year, another guy I think will make the team next year is Faber, now Brock Faber played a majority of this season in the NCAA and signed with Minnesota late in the regular season, but was so good that once the Wild put him in the lineup he never came out as he finished the last few regular season games in the lineup and got into all 6 playoff games and looked like one of their better defensemen and I think there is a solid chance that Faber is a regular on pair 3 next year maybe with a veteran, but I definitely think Faber is also a lock to be a NHL defender next year, and lastly would be Lambos who is a former 1RD pick and along with guys like Hunt and O’Rourke looks like he will have a future as a NHL defender, and while I could see him maybe play in the AHL or juniors next year, I could also see him get a shot at the NHL level next year maybe in a 3rd pair role even if it is only for a couple of games, he is another solid young defender I could see make the team next year, so instead of going after big names to help replace the guys they will most likely lose on the roster, I would expect guys like Faber and Addison for sure and maybe Ben Lambos would make the roster and be good players who aren’t too expensive but bring a good game to the Wild.
.3) Move at least one of Merrill, Goligoski or Foligno.
Now as I have said the Wild are in cap he’ll right now as they have the Parise and Suter buyouts taking even more cap space up this year and the cap will only go up by $1 Million this year so they won’t get any sort of relief like that until next year, and although they don’t have many tradable candidates on the team, I do think there are a few players the Wild at least have to consider moving to free up cap space.
Now I think the most likely would be one of the two defenders in Merrill or Goligoski. Now Merrill and Goligoski have both been with Minnesota for 2 seasons now and have been really solid 3rd pie defensemen in Minnesota, but for depth defensemen on a cap strapped team like the Wild they may be making too much money to keep around as Merrill still has 2 years left on his contract at a $1.2 Million dollar cap hit and Goligoski is entering the final year of his contract at a $2 Million dollar cap hit, so both guys have been able to really revitalize their Carter’s in Minnesota but I can’t see the Wild keeping them both on as paying $3.2 Million next year for their 6th and 7th defensemen would not be ideal and any cap space helps the Wild so with young players like Addison and Faber coming into the lineup most likely next year, I think at least 1 goes if not both as the team could find cheaper defensemen in free agency who bring the same sort of thing those two guys do, so expect at least one of Merrill/Goligoski to be moved in the offseason, and one other guy I could see the Wild move even though he is a ton less unlikely would be Marcus Foligno. Now Foligno has sort of solidified himself in that middle six of the Wild and has really been a great producer in the past couple of years as he had his best year in Minnesota in the 21-22 season putting up over 40 points and even though he didn’t have the best year point wise this season he was still a good middle six winger for the Wild so I don’t think the want to move him, but Foligno is entering the final year of his contract at a $3.1 Million dollar cap hit and is really the only other player besides the two defensemen who I could see the Wild trading, and it would help them free up some cap space, but I would not guarantee that he is moved this offseason as he is a big piece of the middle six in Minnesota, but still I think the Wild will need to move some players out to gain cap space for this year and in my eyes they will have to move at least one of Foligno, Merrill or Goligoski at some point this offseason.
.4) Add a top 6 Center.
Now the Wild have one area on the team right now that is weaker then the rest and that is the Center group, as they have some solid wingers as well as some solid defenders and a couple of good goalies, but they lack a true number 1 Center and even though they have a guy like Rossi who may eventually be that, they don’t have one right now and I think that could lead them to try and acquire one this offseason.
Now the Wild don’t have a lot of cap space and even if they move some of those guys I mentioned above, most of that money would be given to the significant RFA’s they need to sign, so it would definitely be a challenge to accomplish to try and get a top 6 Center who can come in at a not too expensive cap hit, but I think they could have a few options. Now they have a extremely deep prospect pool and aren’t too bad with their draft capital so in terms of them having the assets to maybe acquire a Center, I think they would have enough, and in my eyes I think they would look for a forward who either isn’t too expensive or one who the acquiring team would be willing to retain salary, and a few names that come to mind in my opinion would be guys like Schmaltz, Lindholm or Scheifele as both Lindholm or Scheifele are in the final year of their deals and it would make sense that the Jets or Flames would be willing to retain salary, while I wouldn’t be too shocked if Arizona was willing to retain salary, so in my eyes if they were to look for a Center they could get who could fit in well at a reasonable cap hit I could see one of these guys being their targets, and there are a couple free agent options as well who may not be overly expensive and could still boost the teams Center depth with guys like Toews, O’Reilly or Monahan, but those are lower end options and in my opinion if they were to oook at a Center upgrade, I think they would look at the trade market, but in my eyes the Wild could definitely use a upgrade at the Center position and if they can make it work cap wise, it will be something to keep their eye on this offseason.
.5) Add a couple top 9 Wingers.
And finally the Wild may lose some guys to free agency this offseason on the forward side and their middle six may take a bit of a beating this offseason, so on top of looking for a top line Center, I could also see them go after a couple of middle six wingers to help strengthen their depth scoring.
Now the Wild have guys like Reaves, Sundqvist and Nyquist being free agents this year and it is likely that all 3 move one this offseason and the Wild may have to part with a guy like Foligno due to cap reasons and that could seriously stretch out the teams depth in the middle six and test their depth scoring and although I do know that the team has a very limited amount of cap space right now, I think they could strongly benefit from adding one or two more top 9 forwards to the team. Now a few players do come to mind who would be fantastic additions to the Wild middle six, and one would be Raddysh who had a solid year in Chicago and is signed for 1 more year at a cheap cap hit, Barabanov in San Jose would make a fantastic middle six forward and if San Jose retained some slary I think he could be a option for Minnesota, and lastly would be Boeser and I know the team would have some major cap gymnastics to do to get him but if the Canucks do move him, it sounded like Minnesota may have been the place he wanted to go, so if they could make it work maybe that is the guy they go after, or if they were looking to free agency then maybe a guy like JVR, Dadonov or Tatar would be of interest to them as I do t think they would have a overly high cap hit and the Wild could bring them in to maybe play on line 3, but whichever route they go, I think adding a top 9 forward or two would be important to them this offseason and could really help the team get passed the 2nd round next year.
So in my eyes if the Wild can add a top 6 Center, a couple of top 9 forwards, sign their big time RFA’s, give the young guys a chance on the blueline and maybe move a player or two I think the team could definitely continue to improve and maybe even be better next year as I think if they can overcome their cap gymnastics and improve this team as much as they can with cheap deals and young players then I could see them make the playoffs again next year and maybe even get past round 1.
And if you like this blog post, then check out my YouTube video about Minnesota’s offseason right here. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c4Emh1zJ1cE
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