So far, all of the Minnesota Wild players participating in the Olympic games have avoided injury. Which, for most hockey general managers, is the biggest goal of this tournament. Unfortunately, the Los Angeles Kings weren’t as lucky as a hit from Tom Wilson led to a fractured leg for forward Kevin Fiala. The team announced that his surgery was a success, but the former Wild will be out for the rest of the season.
It’s a big loss for the Kings, who entered the break just outside of the playoffs, trailing the Anaheim Ducks by three points for the second Wild Card spot. Knowing that offense is at a premium for them, they made a huge trade just before the roster freeze went into effect, securing Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers.
Now that Fiala is out, the Kings might have to chase more offense on the free agent market, and that could put them squarely in contention for the same players the Minnesota Wild are looking at. Robert Thomas has been a name that has been floated as a possible trade acquisition for Bill Guerin, but another veteran center that fits the mold of the team Guerin seems to want could also be set for a bidding war if Los Angeles is back on the market.
In their continuing trade matchmaker posts The Athletic try to find a fit for Calgary’s Nazem Kadri. James Mirtle, the same writer that posited Thomas as a possible return for Jesper Wallstedt, wonders if Kadri would be the ideal candidate to fill the top center post Guerin has on his shopping list,
“The Wild have been excellent since their huge swing on Quinn Hughes, but they know they need another pivot to get out of the Central given the Avs’ and Stars’ depth. Kadri has been there and won before, with Colorado in 2022, and would fit in well with any of Minnesota’s big-shooting wingers.”
Kadri would definitely provide the playoff experience and two-way play that the Wild need in the rough-and-tumble central division. The 35-year-old center has 44 points in 52 career playoff games, including a 7-goal, 8-assist performance in the Colorado Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run.
A veteran of over 1,000 regular season games with Toronto, Colorado, and Calgary, the Ontario native is having another productive season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 56 games for the Flames, who, by all indications are going to be a seller at the trade deadline.
For much of his career Kadri has been considered a solid two-way players, and while that has dipped a little during his stint in Calgary, the Wild’s style of play would fit him nicely. He has a physical, grind-it-out aspect to his game that would help them in the tough match-ups against Dallas or Colorado in the playoffs.
The big sticking point in acquiring Kadri would be his cap hit. With three seasons left after this one at $7 million per year, it’s a big commitment for the Wild to absorb. However, much like acquiring Thomas, it would give Guerin the cost certainty he needs as he negotiates with Quinn Hughes’ camp in regards to a possible extension.
With the cap rising, and a couple of veteran contracts set to come off of the books after this year, the Wild have the space to absorb the entire contract, which, in theory, should lower the asking cost from Calgary. Could they be enticed by a 2027 first-round pick and a younger prospect like Charlie Stramel or Ryder Ritchie? Wallstedt might not hold the appeal he would for other franchises considering Calgary already has their netminder of the future in Dustin Wolf, but there are still plenty of other assets at Guerin’s disposal to make this deal work.
The short time frame between the lifting of the roster freeze and the trade deadline should make for some exciting speculation leading up to March 6th. How desperate the Kings are to add scoring in the wake of Fiala’s injury just makes it all the more exciting.