It's no secret that the Minnesota Wild are looking for a top six forward this offseason. Ideally, they are seeking a top line center to help their odds of contending for the Stanley Cup next season. But no one, and we mean no one, was expecting a blockbuster trade to fall on Father's Day, and it did not involve the Wild.
According to multiple reports, the Ottawa Senators traded team captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for two first-round picks this year (No. 9 and 25 overall), a first-rounder in 2029, and a second-rounder in 2030. Now, Brady will get to team up with his older brother Matthew in Florida, and in the process, significantly increased the Panthers' odds of competing for the Stanley Cup.
Wild fans may be wondering if general manager Bill Guerin was in the running for Tkachuk, considering the Team USA links. The answer was yes, and it seems as though he made a legitimately gigantic offer for the Senators captain.
Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that the Wild were one of the four teams on Tkachuck's trade list and that they "made a huge offer." But, Russo says that the decision by Brady was to join his brother in Florida.
Can confirm #mnwild were on Brady Tkachuk’s list submitted to Ottawa a few weeks ago. Wild made a huge offer, so I think at end of day Brady made decision to go to Florida. https://t.co/2JB6ZXaX7a
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) June 21, 2026
Wild reportedly made 'huge offer' for Brady Tkachuk
There's not much more the Wild could have done. They made the offer that felt was enough to convince the Senators and Tkachuk to agree to a trade. However, it was the Panthers who won out in the end.
On Sunday, it felt as though the Panthers had a huge move coming, as they traded forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for the No. 25 overall pick. Gaining that draft pick helped convince the Senators to accept the trade with the Panthers.
One has to wonder what kind of offer the Wild could have made. When looking at other potential trade targets like Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers, names like Charlie Stramel and Danila Yurov have come up as potential parts of a trade package. Goalie Jesper Wallstedt was floated around as a potential option at the trade deadline this year, let's not forget. As for draft capital, the Wild didn't have a first or second-round pick this year due to the Quinn Hughes and Gustav Nyquist trades. They do, however, have their first-rounders from 2027-29 and a second-round pick in 2029.
With Tkachuck off the board, the focus should be on Larkin, as he does fill Minnesota's need for a top line center. The thing is, they'd have to make an offer that Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman would approve of. Even though Larkin has the full no-movement clause, Yzerman won't trade him for the sake of trading him. Trocheck would be Minnesota's next best option, although the Rangers and general manager Chris Drury are holding out for a huge return.
After losing out on Tkachuk, the Wild's urgency to land one of the top forwards on the trade block should increase.
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