NHL trade deadline: Do the Minnesota Wild need to add a goalie?

Is Cam Talbot back?

The Minnesota Wild’ goalie made 22 saves in a 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon for his fifth straight win in net., and stopped 48 of 51 shots on net over his last  two games.

So has the 34-year-old regained the form that made him a Central Division selection for the All-Star game this season?

“I feel as good as I’ve felt in awhile,” Talbot said in a media availability session after the Blackhawks game. “Sometimes you get one win and and it was kind of a sloppy one there in Philly that started this but it gives you something to build off of. I think after the third period in Philly when we came back and I made some saves down the stretch and it snowballs from there.

“Once you get a little bit of confidence going, you just kind of continue to build off of that,” Talbot said. “Obviously the guys have been playing great in front of me too and allowing me to see those first opportunities. I’ve just been trying to eliminate the second chances. They’ve been doing a great job in front of me and fun to play behind.”

Sounds great, right? Except for the fact that the Wild have struggled in net in the second half of the season with the tandem of Talbot and Kaapo Kahkonen. Since the start of Febuary, the Wild have allowed an average of 3.75 goals per game through Sunday, which ranks fourth worst in the NHL in that span.

Talbot has allowed four or more goals in six of his nine starts since Feb. 16.

So that has led to the Wild need to make a move for another goalie with Monday’s league trade deadline.

Or do they?

“Not necessarily,,” Wild general manager Bill Guerin said earlier this week. “I still have confidence in those guys . I know the numbers aren’t telling me that I should but I do. I know the people, I know the character of these guys.  I think if you ask them, they’re the first ones to tell you that they haven’t been playing as well as they can and they’ll need to be better.  We do need them to be better,” Guerin said. “We need a ton of guys on our team to be better.”

If the Wild were to make a move for a goalie, who should it be? The top option appears be the Blackhawks’ Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Athletic’s Michael Russo touched on the possibility of a trade between Minnesota and Chicago on Sunday. He noted that Fleury is willing to waive his no-trade clause to come to Minnesota and that Chicago’s asking price is reportedly a first-round pick in this summer’s NHL Entry Draft.

Fleury entered Sunday with a 2.90 goals against average and a .909 save percentage for a Blackhawks team that is seventh in the Central Division. His postseason experience and three Stanley Cup rings is what makes his an attractive candidate.

It’s been proven in the NHL before that a hot goalie can carry a team on a long postseason.

After Monday, the Wild will have know who might have the chance to be the latest goalie to do that this year .

“We really don’t have control,” Talbot said of the trade deadline rumors. “That’s all Guerin and the brass up there (in the front office). As players we can only control what we control on the ice and we love this group. At this time of the year you want to go to battle with the guys who have been there all year with you. You can’t say enough about how our team sticks together and fights for one another and plays for one another.

“We like our group but obviously that’s up to Billy if he thinks he can improve anything.”