Minnesota Wild: Rebuild or reload around Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s deals?
With Zach Parise and Ryan Suter signed on big tickets through 2025, the Minnesota Wild need to start thinking about who they could put around the ageing forwards to keep a winning culture in the state of Minnesota.
July 4th, 2012 was an exciting day for the Minnesota Wild and their fans. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter were coming to the “State of Hockey,” and not only the state of Minnesota, but the entire hockey world was in an uproar.
Things were looking up for the Wild, and a Stanley Cup seemed inevitable in the years to come.
Six years, and two ninety-eight million dollar contracts later, the Stanley Cup has yet to show its face in St. Paul; even making it out of the first round has proved quite challenging for the team.
Our superstars are beginning to age and the time has come, the Minnesota Wild have some moves to make.
Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have not been a disappointment. Per NHL.com, the duo has put up 594 total points combined during their time in Minnesota. Saying they’ve been a disappointment would be disrespectful.
But did we as fans expect more?
More, as in a Stanley Cup?
Yes, yes we did.
Moving a couple of ageing, injury plagued players with big contracts, in a league that’s continually getting younger and younger proves to be almost impossible.
So the Minnesota Wild will have to take a look at who in their lineup they can give up, for the best return on investment, given the Ryan Suter and Zach Parise deals are basically immovable.
Coming off of a big year, a year that some would say revived his career, Eric Staal could be a possible move the Wild make.
I know it’s not someone fans would like to see go, but in his last year of a three-year deal, and taking up relatively small cap space, many teams would gladly take Staal.
Per Mark Easson of mynhltraderumors.com, Staal has a no trade clause that includes ten teams he will not approve a trade to. But if he is willing to move, the Wild could gain either a few high round draft picks, or some prospects, helping this team get younger for the future.
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Charlie Coyle is another player the Minnesota Wild could shop around. With numbers being a bit down last year due to injury, Coyle hasn’t exactly panned out as the top line forward the Wild had hoped he could be when acquiring him back in 2011 from the San Jose Sharks.
His return on investment would be low right now, but with two years left on his contract; moving him could clear up some cap space to sign a notable free agent in the offseason, or to spend on some of our young core to keep them in Minnesota.
If the Minnesota Wild are looking to make an impact now, the team would have to give up some fan favorites in the “State of Hockey.”
Jason Zucker, debatably the team’s top forward, signed a five-year contract prior to this season. Coming off of a big year that included sixty-four points, Zucker has proven he can score goals in the NHL.
Trading Zucker and his scoring prowess would hurt an already scoring plagued team, but if a transaction were to occur, the Minnesota Wild would need an already proven goal scorer in return.
With the two huge contracts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, and nothing to show for them, it’s time for the Minnesota Wild to make moves. Whether that’s now, at the trade deadline, or in the off-season, the clock is ticking.
The Minnesota Wild have a few key prospects that could eventually graduate into the lineup in the future and they need the entry level value around those big Ryan Suter and Zach Parise deals.
Mason Shaw, the fourth round draft pick by the Wild in 2017 put up big numbers while playing in the WHL, and has brought that scoring prowess with him to Iowa. With four points in five games this year, (three of those points being goals) Shaw has shown he has a knack for putting the puck in the back of the net, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Shaw up with the big club in the near future.
Luke Kunin, the Wild’s fifteenth overall pick in 2016 is another promising young player. Kunin starred in nineteen games with the Wild last year putting up four points. A University of Wisconsin product, Kunin had 64 points in 69 games with the Badgers, but has yet to put up those big numbers in the pros. With more time to develop in Iowa, while getting used to the pro game, I believe Kunin could one day be a star in the NHL.
Dmitry Sokolov, drafted in the seventh round in 2016, is a big bodied forward with lots of offensive upside. Sokolov racked up big numbers in the OHL with 220 points in 196 games, but his plus/minus scares worries me a bit as he was a -69 in those 196 games. Nonetheless, Sokolov’s stature, along with his offensive ability are a perfect fit for the NHL, and could be a big part in helping the Minnesota Wild in the future.
Will the team build around its two superstars and make a push for the Cup right now?
Or will they be more financially conservative and rebuild from the ground up?
Next. Key statistics that need some extra focus. dark
Either way, Paul Fenton has some interior design work to do in the Excel Energy Center. A few banners would sure brighten up the place, wouldn’t they?