Aead of the trade dadline, the Minnesota Wild were expected to make one of the big splashes. Looking for a top six forward, one name has stuck with them quite frequently, and that was New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck. General Manager Bill Guerin knows Trocheck well, as he named him to the United States' men's hockey team for the Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal. It felt like a foregone conclusion that the Wild were going to land Trocheck one way or another, despite their being interest from other teams.
But on Thursday, The Athletic's Michael Russo and Joe Smith reported that the Wild's hopes of trading for Trocheck were "fading" due to the Rangers' high asking price.
Now, the Wild have to figure out what to do next. What shoud be their next move? Well, it should happen in the offseason.
Wild should explore Vincent Trocheck pivot during the offseason
Why wouldn't the Wild decide to make a pivot move that is the equivalent of adding Trocheck by the trade deadline? Well, because the trade market overall isn't the greatest. The St. Louis Blues seem unwilling to move on from Robert Thomas, given their exorbitant asking price. The Wild have been linked to Ryan O'Reilly of the Nashville Predators, but it appears the veteran doesn't want to leave. Nazem Kadri's contract presents itself as an issue for the Wild unless the Calgary Flames retain some of the salary.
The Wild have seemingly moved on from making a blockbuster at the deadline, instead bringing in multiple forwards such as Michael McCarron from the Predators, Bobby Brink from the Philadelphia Flyers, and Nick Foligno from the Chicago Blackhawks. That leaves not much room for another forward like Trocheck as the clock winds down to zero.
The best bet for the Wild is to stick with the roster they have and make another splash in the offseason. You never know how things will turn out in the playoffs.
This offseason, there ery well could be more players available on the trade market and there won't be a deadline to adhere to. Maybe they could explore getting a top six forward off of another team. Do they also pursue Trocheck again? Let's not forget that the team reportedly is willing to offer goalie Jesper Wallstedt in any trade for a star player. Do they explore that in the summer if a team is willing to part ways with one of their stars?
Also, let's not forget that the Wild will officially have a chance to sign defenseman Quinn Hughes to a contract extension. Hughes will not come cheap, but he is a player that you basically hand a blank check to because of how impactful he is on the ice.
So, the Wild's best bet after losing out on Trocheck is to let the rest of the season pan out and explore their options in the offseason.