The Minnesota Wild have some important tasks on their offseason to-do list. First will be to retain star defenseman Quinn Hughes, who is entering the final year of his contract. Then, the Wild and general manager Bill Guerin will have to find a top forward, preferably a center. It's no secret that the Wild are in the running for Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin, but they were also trying their hardest to get another star.
On Sunday, the Florida Panthers officially acquired Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk in exchange for three first-round picks (two in 2026, one in 2029) and a 2030 second-round pick. The decision for Tkachuk was to team up with his older brother Matthew, so it was always a hard bid for any other team in the running. The Wild were one of the four teams on Tkachuk's list, and The Athletic's Michael Russo reported that they made a huge offer to the Senators for him. It wasn't known at the time what kind of offer was made by Guerin, but now we know.
Russo further elaborated on the trade offer in a recent article, reporting that it was similar to the Hughes trade with the Vancouver Canucks back in December. The Wild offered the equivalent of four first-round picks for Tkachuk. Ultimately, it was Tkachuk who made the call to only accept a trade to the Panthers.
Wild reportedly offered equivalent of four first-round picks for Brady Tkachuk
"Minnesota made a big offer for Tkachuk after he included the Wild on his list of four teams he’d waive his no-move clause to join, per league sources. Like the Hughes trade, it was the equivalent of four first-round picks," writes Russo. "But in the end, even though you can make the argument that the Wild’s offer was better because their package wasn’t all draft picks, the Senators had no choice but to accept the Panthers’ offer because Tkachuk, who had a no-move clause, had become intent on joining forces with his brother, Matthew, in Florida."
Russo wasn't kidding when saying that the Wild made a huge offer for Tkachuk. But Brady teaming up with Matthew in Florida was just too tempting for the star forward, and thus, Minnesota's offer was essentially dead on arrival, no matter how strong of an offer it was.
As Wild fans know, they gave up a 2026 first-round pick, alongside players Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, and Liam Ohgren for Hughes. So, a first-round pick and three players who were drafted in the first-round. So looking at the Wild, they have first-round picks from 2027 onward. Let's not forget that the Wild have floated names like Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel in other potential trades, and they are both first-round draft picks of Minnesota.
As for where the Wild could pivot to next, it appears that they are set on trying to land Larkin from the Red Wings. Larkin had the Wild as one of three teams he'd waive his no-movement clause for, but Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman recently asked Larkin's agent, Pat Brisson, to expand his trade destination wishlist. One team that has emerged as a potential ideal landing spot for Larkin are the rival Dallas Stars, so the urgency should be increasing for the Wild.
The Wild tried their best to land Tkachuk to reunite him with fellow Team USA members like Guerin, Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber, but it just wasn't enough. Now, we'll see if the Wild have another blockbuster on the backburner.
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