The Minnesota Wild, unsurprisingly, are in the running for any major star that just so happens to hit the trade block. On Sunday, the NHL world received a major shock when finding out that the Ottawa Senators traded away captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers in exchange for two-2026 first-round picks, a 2029 first-rounder, and a 2030 second-rounder.
The Minnesota Wild were one of four teams that Tkachuk was interested in being traded to, but he ultimately decided on joining his older brother Matthew. Besides the Wild, the Vegas Golden Knights and Carolina Hurricanes were also on Tkachuk's list. One rival team found that out the hard way.
During a media session on Monday, St. Louis Blues president Doug Armstrong spoke about the Tkachuk trade to the Panthers. Armstrong revealed that the Blues made a call to the Senators, but were informed that they weren't on his list.
Wild rival Blues tried and failed to trade for Brady Tkachuk
“With the player that got traded yesterday, we knew he was available. We inquired about him. We were told we weren’t on the list," said Armstrong, h/t Matthew DeFrank of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "That’s the end. You can’t create something that’s not there.”
You can't fault a team for making a call in case a superster suddenly hits the trade block. Even though the Blues are in the midst of a roster retool, with Alex Steen taking over as general manager, it doesn't hurt to see what it would take to acquire a player like Tkachuk.
While the Wild lost out too, they can at least take solace in knowing that he isn't joining a rival team.
The Wild tried their hardest to secure Tkachuk, as they reportedly "made a huge offer" to the Senators. Ultimately though, the Panthers won, especially after securing the 25th overall pick from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Mackie Samoskevich. It's unknown what the exactly the Wild offered for Tkachuk.
While speaking with reporters on Monday, Senators general manager Steve Staios revealed that Tkachuk was the one who requested the trade, and that "it was clearly pointed at one team at the end." That "one team" is obviously Florida.
Now, it's up to the Wild to pivot. Will they set their focus back on Dylan Larkin, who requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings this month? Or could they head back into negotiations with the New York Rangers for Vincent Trocheck?
One thing is for certain, and that's that this offseason has become much more interesting than initially expected.
Add us as a preferred source on Google