The Minnesota Wild are a mediocre team that is stuck in no man's land; they aren't good enough to be a contender, but at the same time, they aren't bad enough to be a lottery team. So the most logical thing to do is to trade their veteran players and rebuild for the future.
At the trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild make two blockbuster trades.
Minnesota Wild trade Jonas Brodin, Nick Bonino to the New Jersey Devils for Will Butcher, Andreas Johnsson, and a 2021 2nd rd pick.
The Devils get a top 4 defenseman in Jonas Brodin and a top 9 forward in Nick Bonino, while the Wild get Will Butcher, Andreas Johnsson, and a 2nd round pick.
The Wild also trade Marcus Johansson, Victor Rask, 1st round pick '21 to the Detroit Red Wings for Vladislav Namestnikov, and a 2021 2nd round pick.
This is a good trade for both sides because the Wild gain cap space, while the Red Wings get Marcus Johansson and a 1st round pick.
The Minnesota Wild finish the 2020-21 season with the 10th worst record in the draft but end up with the 11th pick in the 2021 draft.
Minnesota Wild lose Andreas Johnsson in the expansion draft to the Seattle Kraken.
At the 2021 draft, the Minnesota Wild trade picks 42, 53 to the Colorado Avalanche for pick 31
2021 Draft
11-Luke Hughes
31-Sasha Pastujov
50-Sebastian Cossa
The Minnesota Wild get three top-notch prospects in Luke Hughes, Sasha Pastujov, and Sebastian Cossa, who should all be a big part of their core.
Minnesota Wild re-sign the following players:
Kevin Fiala-4yrs/5.5M per
Kirill Kaprizov-3yrs/5M per
Joel Eriksson EK-4yrs/2.5M per
Ryan Hartman-3yrs/1.8M per
The Minnesota Wild makes two key free-agent signings:
Tomas Tatar-5yrs/6M per
Phillip Danault-7yrs/5.2M per
The Minnesota Wild finish the 2021-22 season with the 8th worst record in the league but end up winning the draft lottery, ending up with the 3rd pick in the draft.
Minnesota Wild buyout Zach Parise; he is due 444k per season until 2028.
Before the 2022 draft, two trades are made.
Minnesota Wild trade Matt Dumba to the Buffalo Sabres for Henri Jokiharju, Tage Thompson, and a 2022 1st round pick.
The Sabres get Matt Dumba, a top 4 defenseman in his prime, while the Wild get Henri Jokiharju and Tage Thompson, two solid young players and a 1st round pick.
The Wild also trade Mats Zuccarello to the Nashville Predators for a 2022 2nd round pick and a 2022 4th round pick.
The Predators get Mats Zuccarello, while the Wild clear cap space and gain some draft picks.
2022 draft
3-Brad Lambert
10 (from BUF)-Jack Hughes
The Minnesota Wild draft Brad Lambert and Jack Hughes, two prospects that will be a major part of their core in the future.
All their RFAs re-sign with the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota Wild sign a few key free agents:
Ben Chiarot-4yrs/3.5M per
Ilya Mikheyev-3yrs/2.9M per
Nick Paul-2yrs/2M per
The Minnesota Wild make the playoffs in the 2022-23 season but get eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Minnesota Wild buyout Ryan Suter; he will be due 333k per season until 2028.
Before the 2023 draft, the Minnesota Wild acquire Reilly Smith from the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2023 1st round pick.
The Wild get a top 6 forward in Reilly Smith, while the Golden Knights get a 1st round pick.
Minnesota Wild re-sign a few players:
Reilly Smith-4yrs/6M per
Marco Rossi-3yrs/4.5M per
Calen Addison-4yrs/3.5M per
Minnesota Wild sign Ryan Graves to a 5 yr deal worth 4 million per season.
By the 2023-24 season, the Minnesota Wild have put together a contending team.
2023-24 Minnesota Wild
K.Kaprizov-B.Lambert-R.Smith
T.Tatar-P.Danault-K.Fiala
J.Greenway-M.Rossi-I.Mikheyev
N.Paul-J.Eriksson Ek-R.Hartman
R.Graves-J.Spurgeon
L.Hughes-C.Addison
B.Chiarot-H.Jokiharju
S.Cossa
K.Kakkonen
Top Prospects: J.Hughes, S.Pastujov
The Minnesota Wild now have a tremendous core that looks like it could be contenders for the next few years.
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