The Minnesota Wild are one of the most interesting teams in the NHL at the moment, but when it comes to this weekend’s draft, it could be the calm before the storm.Â
The Wild do not have a first-round pick in this draft after acquiring Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks last December. Minnesota also doesn’t have a second-round pick after it was sent to the Nashville Predators for Michael McCarron. As a result, the Wild won’t be on the clock until the 89th overall pick and have just five total picks over the two-day event.
The lack of capital may lead Wild fans to be disappointed with what Minnesota walks out with at the end of the weekend. But it’s a good sign considering the Wild’s championship window is officially open.
The Wild have finally achieved true contender status ahead of the NHL Draft
At this time a year ago, the Wild were a two-man show. Kirill Kaprizov’s contract was the biggest concern for the Wild. Matt Boldy, while starting to emerge, had not ascended to true superstar status. It had the Wild feeling like flyover country despite the pride displayed on a local level but things changed when Minnesota acquired Hughes.
Hughes’s arrival transformed the Wild into Stanley Cup contenders and may have kicked open the door to the team’s golden age. Kaprizov continued his strong play with 45 goals and 89 points and Boldy climbed another rung on the ladder with 42 goals and 85 points. With Brock Faber breaking out after Hughes’s arrival, the Wild went on to win their first playoff series since 2015 and put big expectations into play.
Having a first-round pick would have been fun if only to see the Wild represented at the draft. Having a chance to trade up into the first round is also something that adds to the excitement. But while those two things are ripe for speculation, it’s not as much fun as having a team that could make a seismic move for next season.
This is where the Wild are at. Having their first-round pick wouldn’t have done much to get past the first round last season and even the second-round pick was used wisely as Minnesota re-signed McCarron to a six-year, $20 million. While the terms of the deal can be debated, the Wild view them as important pieces and are now looking for the crown jewel.
To many, that’s a No. 1 center. Dylan Larkin is still sorting out his trade request with the Detroit Red Wings and would be a perfect fit re-joining his teammates from the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympic Hockey teams. Vincent Trocheck is another potential target, although the Wild seem to be out even if things fall through with Larkin.
Even if they do, Wild fans are experiencing the new phenomenon that players want to come to Minnesota. That’s important in the current age where players use their no-trade clause as leverage to hand-pick their next team and with Larkin listing Minnesota on his initial list of teams he’d accept a trade to and other players seeing what Bill Guerin has built, it could lead to a more exciting outcome than the 24th overall pick would have.
This doesn’t mean the Wild will be completely quiet. There’s a chance they could make a deal during the draft or even just land a player like Alexander Mogilny, who was taken with the 89th overall pick in 1989 or former Wild head coach Dean Evason, who was selected with that pick in 1984.
But the Wild’s offseason won’t stop when their class is complete on Saturday afternoon and could lead to a much louder summer when the league year officially begins on July 1.
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