The Minnesota Wild are going big-game hunting to improve their roster this offseason and that means it’s not going to be cheap. While they would love to acquire Dylan Larkin from the Detroit Red Wings, the star center will come at a steep price, which led to a report that general manager Steve Yzerman asked for Matt Boldy in return.
Wild fans were understandably upset when Boldy’s name got thrown into the rumor mill as an ascending player that is considered to be a franchise cornerstone entering his prime. But with a cheap contract and a truckload of talent, the Larkin negotiations isn’t going to be the last one Boldy’s name is thrown into, forcing Wild fans to prepare accordingly.
Matt Boldy has become a coveted trade target for teams dealing a star player
This isn’t to say that the Wild should trade Boldy. The 25-year-old has improved in each of his five years with the Wild and had a career campaign last year with 42 goals and 85 points in 76 games. Bill Guerin even suggested that Boldy could be a 50/50 player (50 goals, 50 assists) at some point during his career, suggesting there could be another level to his game to be unlocked this season.
But the most appealing aspect of Boldy’s game is his cost. The Wild wisely signed Boldy to a seven-year, $49 million contract ahead of the 2023-24 season and should keep him in Minnesota through the 2029-30 campaign per Puckpedia. With the salary cap rising, Boldy’s contract has become an even bigger bargain, but potentially has created a bigger target for teams dealing with the Wild.
For the Red Wings, acquiring Boldy makes a ton of sense. He’s a two-way power forward capable of bullying his way into the dirty areas to score goals and with Larkin out of the picture, Yzerman would have to find someone that could pick up the offensive void of losing a six-time 30-goal scorer. Larkin’s $8.7 AAV for the next five years is similar to the cost of Boldy and could offset the rising cost of stars around the league.
If you want evidence, look no further than the five-year, $90 million offer sheet that Leo Carlsson signed with the Philadelphia Flyers. While the Anaheim Ducks matched the offer on Thursday, Carlsson has never put together a 30-goal season and finished last year with 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games. That deal, which put Carlsson ahead of Kirill Kaprizov as the highest-paid player in the NHL at $18 million per season, also bumps up the price and makes Boldy, Larkin and anyone else with a grandfathered contract a target for any team dealing a star.
As we mentioned before, Larkin could only be the beginning. If the Wild can’t facilitate a trade with pieces like Charlie Stramel, Danila Yurov and first-round picks, they could wait for the next superstar to become available. But while ESPN’s Erik Johnson believes that could leave Minnesota as a prime contender if Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid become available, the first thing they’re going to ask for is Boldy.
This doesn’t mean the Wild will oblige, but it may not be worthy of the “What the heck?” reaction that Boldy’s involvement in the Larkin negotiations received. It also shows just how much of a value Boldy can provide moving forward and how the Wild are on the right track having him in the lineup.
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