3 Huge Names Listed as Wild GM Bill Guerin Setting Up for ‘Next Superstar Swing’

The Minnesota Wild made their big swing earlier this season, pulling off a blockbuster deal, landing the second-best defenseman in hockey, Quinn Hughes. But according to reports, GM Bill Guerin will be right back on his horse this summer, setting up for his "next superstar swing."

Wild insider Michael Russo of The Athletic tells us that "there’s a reason — and a good one — that Guerin didn’t blow the Wild’s remaining potential trade assets at this year’s deadline for B players. He has every intention this offseason or next season of trying to pull off a deal for another A-plus like Quinn Hughes."

He then suggests these three HUGE names could be next on Guerin's list:

Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Robert Thomas, St. Louis Blues

In varying degrees, all of those three have had their names on the rumor mill in the past month or two.

Thomas was legitimately shopped by the Blues at the deadline, but at a massive price that no team could match.

Could Auston Matthews approve a move to the Wild if they came calling?

Matthews finds himself in an intriguing situation. The Maple Leafs are close to rock bottom, and started selling off some pieces at the deadline, with more to come this offseason. On top of that, the recent ugly incident that ended his season must be weighing on his mind. When he was taken down by The Butcher, Radko Gudas, with a dirty knee-on-knee hit, not one of his teammates on the ice came to his rescue, or did a thing. Will he want out? "Conversations" with management will be had this summer.

Tkachuk, who, as Russo notes, is a good friend of fellow USA Gold Medal Olympian Quinn Hughes, came under fire by some in the Canadian capital in the aftermath of the USA's victory over Canada in Milan. He has professed his dedication to the Senators, but his brother Matthew and others could be in his ear telling him to come to the States.

To be clear, Matthews and Tkachuk hold full no-move clauses, and Thomas a full no-trade. Any of them would have to approve of a move to Minnesota. But if the Wild go on a nice playoff run, it's not inconceivable for any of those three to want to be a part of that exciting program.

Guerin has said in the past, “Great players want to play with other great players.” And with Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Brock Faber, Joel Eriksson Ek and Filip Gustavsson, the Wild surely have that.