The Minnesota Wild are virtual locks to make the playoffs out of the Central Division. The problem is, they are in the same division as the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars, and all three teams are undoubtedly the best in the entire league. For the Wild, they already made a blockbuster splash to bring in Quinn Hughes, which is already paying off.
It's already well known that the Wild are looking for a top center by the March 6 trade deadline, and one name they are linked heavily to is Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers. But it appears that a new center target is now on the radar for the Wild.
The Athletic NHL insider Pierre LeBrun mentioned the trade market of the Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly. Minnesota is linked to the veteran of players as a logical landing spot, per LeBrun.
Wild linked as logical landing spot for Ryan O'Reilly
Meanwhile, O'Reilly is the cheaper option between himself and Steven Stamkos, who is also listed as a potential trade target for the Wild. The issue for the Wild is that O'Reilly may not want to be traded, and the Predators are treating him as though he has a no-trade clause. But if he is interested in being moved, the Wild awre an option.
"Ryan O’Reilly, meanwhile, is signed to another year at a $4.5 million cap hit and continues to be in high demand. It’s still not clear, though, if he would want to move," writes LeBrun. "League sources Thursday said his priority coming out of the break is helping get the Predators into the playoffs. His family loves it in Nashville. There’s even been talk of a potential extension for him this summer. He is eligible for one on July 1 and is thought of well at the ownership level.
"I don’t think we can totally discount a trade, though. You can count the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars and the Wild as teams with interest in the 35-year-old center."
O'Reilly is having a productive year in Nashville, recording 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) in 58 games. Not to mention, he is a great face-off center, owning a 55.1 win percentage. In his playof career, O'Reilly has 26 goals and 41 assists through 81 career games. O'Reilly notably was a huge factor in the St. Louis Blues winning their first Stanley Cup title in 2019. Overall, O'Reilly is 36-45 in his playoff career.
It's no secret that General Manager Bill Guerin is looking to add one more big-time player to his roster to try and bring the Wild to their first Stanley Cup Final. We'll see if either O'Reilly will accept a trade out of Nashville, and if it will be to Minnesota. But if they wanted an experienced center who can win face-offs and put up points, he's a player they should be targeting.