The Minnesota Wild are a virtual lock to make the playoffs, as they are one of the top teams in the Western Conference. The main issue is that they are in third place in the Central Division behind the Colorado Avalance and Dallas Stars. Given the playoff format, the Wild will likely have to go through both teams to make it to the Stanley Cup Final. So, this is a team that needs to bolster their roster.
One player that has been heavily linked to the Wild is New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. The Wild are seeking a top six forward, and Trocheck would provide them with someone who not only scores goals, but can also win face-offs and kill penalties. That's why he is a hot commodity. As it turns out, General Manager Bill Guerin isn't even hiding his interest in Trocheck.
Before the start of the Winter Olympics, Team USA held their picture day. During so, when members of the Minnestoa Wild gathered for a photo, reporters indicated that Trocheck jokingly walked over to join them.
However, Mollie Walker of the New York Post revealed on the Up in the Blue Seats podcast that it was actually Guerin who called over Trocheck for the photo as a joke.
Bill Guerin jokingly called over Vincent Trocheck for Wild photo at Team USA picture day
"I know everybody was talking about this at the Olympics during picture day when he ventured on over into the Minnesota Wild picture. But I had actually heard that it wasn't Trocheck who went over himself. It was Mr. Billy Guerin," said Walker. "...but in actuality it was Mr. Billy Guerin who called over there and he was the one making the joke, not Trocheck."
Rangers fans are probably instantly yelling "tampering" after discovering this. But that's unlikely to happen.
The Athletic's Wild reporter Michael Russo said that he was the one who told Walker about Guerin calling over Trocheck to join the Minnesota team photo. Additionally, when a fan responded, asking if this could be considered tampering, Russo noted that Drury was there and he laughed when Guerin called over Trocheck.
Drury was right there and laughed.
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 2, 2026
Drury was the assistant General Manager for Team USA under Guerin, who served as the GM. Guerin did receive flak for putting Trocheck and J.T. Miller on the roster over the likes of Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens and Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. Guerin wanted Trocheck due in part to his ability to kill penalties. Sure enough, it paid off, as the United States went a perfect 18-for-18 on the penalty kill. That helped Team USA win their first gold medal in men's ice hockey since 1980.
Considering that Guerin did receive criticism for adding Trocheck to the roster, it paid off. Now, with Trocheck under contract through the 2028-29 season with a $5.6 million annual cap hit and the fact that the Rangers are retooling, Guerin has the chance to bring Trocheck to Minnesota to help with his goal of winning the franchise their first Stanley Cup.
However, it's not a given that the Wild and Guerin are a lock to get Trocheck. The Rangers are looking for the best return possible, and given that Guerin gave up a ton of assets for Quinn Hughes months earlier, their pool of young talent is depleted. Plus, there are other teams that are interested in Trocheck that could make a more lucrative offer for him, such as the Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes.
It's no secret that the Wild are interested in Trocheck, and this updated story on the Team USA team photo only adds to it.