The Minnesota Wild are looking to be active this summer and in no area is that more important than finding a No. 1 center. While the free agent market was expected to be shallow going into the offseason, the list of available centers shrunk again when the Pittsburgh Penguins agreed to a one-year contract extension with Evgeni Malkin on Tuesday according to Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic.
Malkin was a pending free agent that had connections with Bill Guerin both as a teammate and a front office executive from 2009 to 2019. But after agreeing to a “bonus-laden” extension with a base salary of $5.5 million, it’s another big name off the board that could throw the Wild further into the trade market to solve their need for a No. 1 center.
Evgeni Malkin’s extension makes it more likely Wild will have to trade for a No. 1 center
Free agency represents the easiest way the Wild could fill their void for a top-line center. But with the opening of the market just over a month away, it already looks like Minnesota’s top options have dried up.
This includes Malkin, who would have been an older but sufficient solution. Despite coming off a disappointing season where he posted 16 goals and 50 points in 68 games, Malkin rebounded to score 19 times and record 61 points in 56 games this past season. While he’ll turn 40 in July, he was one of the best center options on the market after Charlie Coyle re-signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this month and leaves an uninspiring group for Guerin to consider.
Coyle’s teammate Boone Jenner could be the Wild’s next-best option in free agency. But he’s also more of a middle-six player than a top-line player. With most of the available players already reflecting what is on the roster, a trade may be the best route for Minnesota to acquire the No. 1 stud they’re looking for.
Nico Hischier’s contract situation with the New Jersey Devils is worth monitoring as a potential trade candidate and the Wild already tried to pry Robert Thomas away from the St. Louis Blues last season. A trade for Jack Hughes is more of a pipe dream years into the future than an immediate solution and the Wild also could come calling for Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks and Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers should they become available.
Of course, the price for those players will skyrocket now that Malkin is off the board and that could cause Minnesota to dangle Jesper Wallstedt, Danila Yurov or another top prospect to get a deal done. With free agency being picked apart, it may be the Wild’s best option and create an arms race going into the summer.
Add us as a preferred source on Google