Once NHL rosters unfreeze after the Olympic break, there's expected to be a frenzy of activity ahead of the trade deadline on March 6th. Bill Guerin and the Minnesota Wild are right at the top of the list of who everyone is looking at to make a move.
Minnesota has already fired a shot across the bow at the rest of the league, trading a haul to land Quinn Hughes. As big as that trade was, the expectation is that the team is going to make an additional move, with the trade deadline being a ticking clock that might spur some movement.
As we get closer to the deadline, Jesper Wallstedt's name keeps coming up in rumors. The stellar rookie is garnering trade buzz thanks to the insane value he has, and the intrigue in moving him lies with what the Wild would get back -- which would be a really great haul.
The Wild are on the prowl for a center or winger, and Wallstedt can net them something great. What exactly that ends up being is up for debate, which is why we're slowly starting to learn what the Great Wall of St. Paul's value might end up being.
NHL insider floats a potential Jesper Wallstedt trade package that is bold but risky
James Mirtle dove into the idea of the St. Louis Blues being the ones who land Wallstedt, which seems like something the Wild would be allergic to until you consider the potential return.
“Could a package that includes Brayden Schenn (or Robert Thomas) and Binnington entice the Wild to move their goalie of the future, plus other assets, to go really big on the present,” Mirtle suggests. “Guerin has certainly shown a willingness to be bold, and this could set them up for multiple runs at a championship after decades in the mushy middle.”
I know what you're thinking, but let's just do the math on this real quick and see if it's as gnarly as it seems.
The crown jewel here -- the reason the trade is being made -- is to get Robert Thomas. Minnesota has been abundantly clear that it wants a 1C to lead the top line, and to inject some serious offensive fire power into the mix. Thomas does that, plus he fits the mold of a young player who is under team control for an extended period of time.
If the idea of flipping Wallstedt is really rooted in finding a way to get Quinn Hughes to re-sign, then landing Thomas is huge. He's not a free agent until 2031 which means we could see Billy G convince Hughes to sign an eight-year extension this offseason.
Bennington is the weird twist here, but not as unpleasant of one as it initially seems.
He's without question struggling right now, and the Blues desperately want to dump him on anyone willing to give him a roster spot. Think of this the same was as an NBA team including a draft pick to move a bad contract; the Wild would be taking on Binnington as a favor to St. Louis and a way to get Thomas away from them.
The knee-jerk reaction is that Bennington does nothing to improve the goaltending situation and only puts more pressure on Filip Gustavsson to not miss a beat. However, Binnington helped the Blues win a Stanley Cup in 2019, and Minnesota loves itself a reclamiation project.
Bennington is hardly headline return, but if a potentially solid No. 2 goalie -- a Stanley Cup winner with something to prove -- is a trade kicker, then the Wild can do worse.
Minnesota is still better off holding Walstedt until the summer when guys like Brady Tkachuk or Jack Hughes might be available, but if Guerin is determined to make a move now we at least know a starting point for what a trade might look like.