Story by
MN Wild Dangling Surprise Asset on NHL Trade Block?
- Story by
- MN Wild Dangling Surprise Asset on NHL Trade Block?
Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Wild lost for the fourth time in five games on Monday night. second-straight since returning home, fresh off a two-week road trip they embarked on while Grand Casino Arena housed the IIHF World Juniors Championship.
Since they took a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on December 21, the MN Wild are 4-3-4 in their last 11 games . Also curious: With Quinn Hughes running the point, they're suddenly struggling to find victory (2-4) in games that go to extra time.
Advertisement
If not for the NHL's consolation point system — which awards one point to the loser of regular season games that end in overtime or shootout — we'd be a lot closer to panic in the streets of downtown St. Paul. Because you don't mortgage the future of your organization for Quinn Hughes, just to go 4-7 down the stretch.
Related Headlines
Minnesota Wild ready to swing big on trade market again
Thus, it is no surprise that Minnesota's risk-taking GM is intent on swinging big on the trade market one more time, before the March 6 deadline, as reiterated by Michael Russo and Joe Smith Wednesday morning, in a co-written piece published at The Athletic .
There is just no chance general manager Bill Guerin is done.
Guerin bought himself four years by buying out Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, but with the cap shackles off, fans have been patient enough, and so has he.
He made it clear after last season that he was tired of not being able to be involved in big swings.
This isn't the first time we have heard about the big swing Guerin still plans to make. The Minnesota Wild desperately need center help, which has become painfully obvious since Joel Eriksson Ek went out with a lower-body injury .
Advertisement
Per Russo and Smith , they'd even settle for another elite scoring wing, should a better opportunity presents itself at that position. But for good reason, Billy is in no hurry to rush a deal through.
Unless the Wild get their socks knocked off my an offer, a trade is unlikely to take place before the Olympic break (Feb 5-25). Why? Because next month is not an All-Star showcase, or even the 4 Nations Cup.
Olympic hockey tournament will have NHL injury casualties
The Olympic men's hockey tournament is going to be extremely rugged, and it'll be a grind for any team that advances beyond pool play. Inevitably, NHL players are going to get hurt, and the Wild have the most going of any other organization, with EIGHT.
Advertisement
At the end of the day, no decision-maker wants to swing a deal, just to see their shiny new toy blow a season-ending tire in questionable conditions , while out in Milan. Plus, moving too quickly could mean splurging on a good deal, when the MN Wild could have waited for a better offer to come across the table down the road.
Most teams may want to wait until after the Olympics to make significant moves, just in case players get hurt in the Olympics. Beyond wanting to gauge your own team's health, it would be devastating to trade for an Olympian, then see him get hurt…
However, because the prospect pool is starting to dwindle, Guerin really has to be careful not to be overly aggressive and use his remaining bullets for a good or very good player now — just in case a bigger fish appears on the market before the March 6 deadline.
Now that Hughes is here and the Wild have built a cushion in the Western Conference Wild Card race, they have nothing but time.
What Bill Guerin doesn't have at his disposal any longer… is a ton of elite prospects to include in another blockbuster. The Wild have already moved a lot of their upcoming draft picks too, including their 2026 first rounder.
What Minnesota does have to offer prospective trade partners, however, is an elite young goalies. And from the sounds of it, that might be the direction their trade deadline is going.
Advertisement
Minnesota Wild dangling Jesper Wallstedt in trade talks?
According to Russo and Smith , it sounds like the Minnesota Wild are dangling their former first round pick — and current No. 2 goalie — Jesper Wallstedt — on the trade block, as the featured piece to a package that can bring in more high-end forward talent.
Sure, Guerin could dangle even more future firsts. Maybe even Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel, Adam Benak, Riley Heidt or Hunter Haight. But these aren't A-plus prospects.
You know who is, even though he's a full-time NHLer right now? Jesper Wallstedt.
With Filip Gustavsson signed until 2031, would it shock any of us if Guerin at least considers this? If Wallstedt's what it would take to get a legit No. 1 center or star winger?
Jesper Wallstedt, Minnesota's 2021 first round pick (20th overall), is just 23 years old , and his resurgence in 2025-26, after an abysmal rookie campaign last season, has caught the attention of scouts around the league, being the Wild just signed 27-year-old Filip Gustavsson to a contract extension last offseason.
Why trading Jesper Wallstedt makes a ton of sense for MN Wild
Trading Jesper Wallstedt actually makes a ton of sense. Yes, he is having a resurgent year (12-3-4 | 2.42 GAA | .921 SV%). It's also true that Wallstedt was, as recently as 2024 , seen as one of the most talented and high-ceiling goalie prospects in NHL history.
NHL Goalie Save % Leaders (1/12/2026)
1) Jesper Wallstedt (MIN) — 0.92794
2) Philipp Grubauer (SEA) — 0.92512
3) Mackenzie Blackwood (COL) — 0.92385
4) Joseph Woll (TOR) — 0.92057
5) Scott Wedgewood (COL) — 0.91748
6) Dennis Hildeby (TOR) — 0.91647
7) Logan Thompson (WSH) —…— Stats Drop (@StatsDrop) January 12, 2026
But Wallstedt also showed us a lot of his weaknesses last season, especially up top. Maybe he's moved on from the mental fragility he showed last year, after being sent down to Iowa early in the season.
Advertisement
Now that the (younger) Swede goalie's trade stock is back up to a level where he could fetch exactly what the Minnesota Wild need on offense, the opportunity might be too perfect for Guerin to pass up.
Related: Olympic Hockey Rink Still Not Ready…
And that is probably why two of THE most trusted insiders in hockey are suddenly bringing Jesper Wallstedt up as a possible Wild trade asset, prior to the March deadline. When Russo or Smith floating someone as a trade chip… they aren't doing it because it's fun to concoct deadline scenarios.
They must be hearing something from inside the Wild organization, itself, or from executives around the league who have talked to the Minnesota Wild front office about players they'd be interested in, in exchange for a top-six forward.
Advertisement
Related Headlines
