The Minnesota Wild have an important offseason ahead of them. While the Wild did show they were one of the top teams in the league in the regular season, it didn't result in them making their elusive first Stanley Cup Final appearance. General manager Bill Guerin has shown to be aggressive this past year, especially after trading for Quinn Hughes.
While signing Hughes to a contract extension should be their top priority this offseason, they will also need to bring in forward help. The free agency class is pretty barren, but there is one player they could target.
The Athletic published an article with all of their NHL beat reporters suggesting the free agents every team should prioritize signing this offseason. For the Wild, team reporter Michael Russo suggested they pursue Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin.
"If Malkin is willing to leave Pittsburgh and the Wild aren’t able to trade for a big-fish center, at least the future Hall of Famer would give them someone with a pulse at their biggest position of need," writes Russo. "As we saw in their playoff series against Colorado, with Joel Eriksson Ek out, the Wild’s disadvantage up the middle killed them. Plus, Malkin can still score and is Kirill Kaprizov’s workout buddy."
The Athletic suggests Wild pursue Evgeni Malkin in free agency
it's no secret that the Wild were trying to bring in a top center at the trade deadline, but to no avail. This offseason, finding one should be a priroity behind locking in Hughes on a new contract. The Wild could try and re-explore acquiring Vincent Trocheck from the New York Rangers and hope the asking price decreases. If not, they could try free agency, where Malkin might be sitting this summer.
Malkin had been with the Penguins for the entirety of his 20 season career, where he won three Stanley Cup titles, the Conn Smyte Award in 2008-09, the Hart Trophy for the 2011-12 season, and the Art Ross Trophy twice. This season, Malkin had a bit of a career resurgence under new head coach Dan Muse, as he put up 61 points in 56 games played, which did help the Penguins shock the NHL and reach the playoffs as the second place team in the Metropolitan Division. In Pittsburgh's first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Malkin scored two goals and dished out one assist.
For the Wild, the center position did burn them. While they did defeat the Dallas Stars in the first round, Minnesota's odds of winning against the Colorado Avalanche took a hit when Joel Eriksson Ek was sidelined due to what turned out to be a broken heel bone in his right foot. It didn't help that they faced a stacked Avalanche team, especially at forward.
As Russo mentions, Malkin already has a relationshipwith Wild star Kirill Kaprizov, as the two workout together. Adding players that have chemistry with Kaprizov is a wise move for Guerin and the Wild. Look at how well Kaprizov plays when Mats Zuccarello in the lineup. Adding Malkin, who showed he can still produce in his late 30s, could be something the Wild could explore.
But, that is all dependent on how negotiations with the Penguins go this offseason. While Penguins general manager Kyle Dubas said he would "love" to keep Malkin, the veteran has opened the door for potentially playing elsewhere. Could that be with the Wild?
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