Guerin & Wild Not Done Swinging for the Fences
Now with one of the NHL's top defenseman to go with one of its top goal scorers, the Minnesota Wild are poised to go forward with that dynamic Quinn Hughes/Kirill Kaprizov combo, right? Not so fast. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith in The Athletic, the way the Wild have been energized by the Hughes blockbuster addition, GM Bill Guerin is likely not done swinging for the fences.
Russo and Smith report that with the Wild's excellent run, including a 7-1-2 mark since the Hughes trade, Guerin can feel the excitement around the team, and that's inspiring him to keep going.
The fact the Wild’s veteran core stepped up and rewarded Guerin’s faith also gives him motivation to put them further into “serious contender” category.Guerin’s not messing around. He almost certainly wants to and plans to take one more big swing, probably for a center, and likely use more picks and prospects to do so.
Notable centers that have been linked as Wild targets include Ryan O’Reilly and Nazem Kadri. Minnesota has $5.1M currently in cap space, and are projected to have $12.9M at the trade deadline.
The fact is, their time is now. It's not just Kaprizov and Hughes (who has just one year remaining on his contract after this one). There's Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber, along with a sensational goaltending tandem of Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt.
Wild are in 'win-now' mode, & another big move is likely
As Russo and Smith note, the blockbuster Hughes move was as big an indication as any that the Wild are in 'win-now' mode, and another big move is likely coming, either before the Olympic Trade Freeze period in February, or the actual trade deadline in March.
"So whether it’s today, tomorrow, next week or next month, Guerin will be on the prowl for what’s next."
