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Minnesota Wild: Five predictions for the Wild in the New Year

By Luke Ryan

ST. PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 31: Nino Niederreiter #22 of the Minnesota Wild and Charlie Coyle #3 of the Minnesota Wild congratulate Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild on his 1st period goal during a game with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Xcel Energy Center on December 31, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - DECEMBER 31: Nino Niederreiter #22 of the Minnesota Wild and Charlie Coyle #3 of the Minnesota Wild congratulate Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild on his 1st period goal during a game with the Pittsburgh Penguins at Xcel Energy Center on December 31, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota.(Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 27: Charlie Coyle #3 of the Minnesota Wild advances the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on December 27, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 5-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – DECEMBER 27: Charlie Coyle #3 of the Minnesota Wild advances the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on December 27, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks defeated the Wild 5-2. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Charlie Coyle will be moved on from the Minnesota Wild

This isn’t exactly a new idea. Put simply, the Minnesota Wild have an asset that isn’t too old yet, is on a very reasonable deal and could likely improve his play with a change of scenery.

Each reason on its own is good enough to move Charlie Coyle on from his tenure with the Minnesota Wild, let alone adding all three together. The biggest challenge is finding a trading partner that is willing to give up either a young asset or a decent draft pick.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) back in mid December, the most likely trade partners would be the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens or Boston Bruins. All three teams have certain pieces that would look good in Minnesota colours, but surely if a deal was going to be made, it would’ve been made by now.

My thinking here is that a deal occurs post free agency. There will surely be a team that has missed out on their big-money target and see Charlie Coyle as a good stop-gap given he won’t have much term left by then.

A deal with Boston that saw Ryan Donato or Danton Heinen headed to St. Paul would be the best possible scenario. Anders Bjork wouldn’t be a bad fit, but doesn’t possess the quality of the aforementioned just yet.

The Montreal Canadiens lack any valuable pieces that might sway me on a Coyle trade, unless of course we managed to snag a high round draft pick and a half-decent prospect. There is also the added fact that there’s history between Minnesota Wild General Manager, Paul Fenton and the Canadiens, given the trade of Gustav Olofsson this season.

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Finally, looking at the Ottawa Senators – they’re a real mess. I’d love to see Matt Duchene signed and then sold. That would be the perfect return, however it’s highly unlikely to happen!

Their first round pick; yeah, the less said about that, the better. Chances are the Colorado Avalanche may not only make the play-offs but have a strong chance at stealing Jack Hughes at this year’s draft!

What else is there? Not a whole great deal. Maybe you could consider Mark Stone, but really I wouldn’t be too impressed with an approach there.

If the carrot can be dangled and Boston are willing, I think that’s the most likely destination for Charlie Coyle. Either way, before the end of 2019, he’s not going to be dressing in Minnesota Wild colours, I don’t think.

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