Wild swap a player for a draft pick in a move that could set up a bigger deal

In a move that might portend a larger move, the Minnesota Wild have reportedly traded center Frederick Gaudreau to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round pick.

The 32-year-old center had three years left on his contract that carried a $2.1 million cap hit, and it appears that Minnesota will not be retaining any of the cap hit. That gives general manager Bill Guerin some more space to work with as free agency looms in the near future.

It could also signal that he might be willing to up his offer to restricted free agent Marco Rossi. Reports are that Rossi is seeking a contract similar to Matt Boldy's 7-year, $49 million contract, but he largest multiple year offer he's received from Minnesota is a around $5 million per season, which has been rejected.

The recent trade and subsequent extension for J.J. Peterka could have altered Guerin's stance in the negotiations. Peterka, a player similar to Rossi in production and age, just signed a five-year extension worth $35 million, a deal that lines up with what the 23-year-old is seeking. It's been rumored that the Wild have turned down an offer from Vancouver for a first-round pick, and the consensus is that Guerin is seeking a NHL-ready prospect in any deal that he makes for Rossi.

If Guerin does give Rossi the $7 million per year deal he is seeking,it leaves him roughly $10 million in cap space to make some other deals. It also gives him some more wiggle room in regards to a Kirill Kaprizov extension, which they could announce as soon as July 1st. One of the quirks of the salary cap is that teams can't sign extensions if it would cause them to go over the cap in future seasons. It's not necessarily a concern for the Wild as they have some other free agent money coming off of the books next summer, but it does give them a little more cost certainty moving forward.

As for Gaudreau, the Wild lose a depth center signed to a reasonable contract. He played pretty much to league average last season while chipping in 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) in 15:40 of ice time. He'll fill a need for the Kraken that they've been missing since trading Yanni Gourde at the deadline last year.