Even after acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes in a blockbuster trade, the Minnesota Wild don’t seem done adding to their roster. According to a recent update from The Fourth Period, the Wild are currently gauging the market for a top-six scoring winger.
The only name mentioned in the article was Vancouver Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood, whom Minnesota expressed interest in before adding Hughes. While the two teams are unlikely to align on another deal ahead of the trade deadline, the Canucks are likely familiar with the Wild’s assets and who they’re willing to trade.
Sherwood isn’t a prototypical sniper by any means, but he could offer significant value for a team that appears poised for the playoffs. The 30-year-old winger has scored 35 goals in 114 games while playing in Vancouver, averaging 15:43 of ice time per game. His physicality is the most well-known part of his game, averaging nearly 5.5 hits per game over the last two years.
Minnesota is somewhat limited by its available cap space, but not to a rigid degree, especially if they’re only looking into the rental market. Buffalo Sabres winger Alex Tuch may be the best option available leading up to the deadline, while Seattle Kraken’s Jordan Eberle and Pittsburgh Penguins’ Anthony Mantha represent the secondary and tertiary options. Depending on how willing General Manager Bill Guerin is to empty the cupboards, the Wild still have their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, as well as a few notable prospects.
Still, especially after moving Marco Rossi in the Hughes trade, it’s somewhat surprising that Minnesota isn’t looking to add a top-six center instead. At the time of writing, the Wild are utilizing Ryan Hartman and Joel Eriksson Ek as their top two options.
Unfortunately, and this may explain their hesitancy in exploring the center market, the demand is outpacing supply. Several competitive teams are looking to add a second-line center, meaning an expected seller’s market could price out Minnesota fairly quickly. Nick Schmaltz of the Utah Mammoth, Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins, and Christian Dvorak of the Philadelphia Flyers are potential options in this field, though there’s no indication any of the trio are being shopped, especially the former two.
Give it a bit longer and you can trade for rakkell probably
Better be a very good top 6 forward, because as good as the Wild are, the Avs and Stars are still better.
Exactly. Not the best year to go all in.
With the managerial change in Buffalo, I’m not expecting Alex Tuch to be going anywhere.
As for Kiefer Sherwood, there are about 7 to 8 teams with significant interest in him that include Dallas, Tampa, Boston, Ottawa, and the list goes on in making the odds in attaining him rather challenging. So betting on getting Sherwood is quite a gamble for any team at this point.
Don’t count on it. Jarmo stated in his introductory press conference he will not rush the rebuild. Buffalo has Rosen, Ostlund, Doan as younger forwards vying for NHL minutes. Kulich is currently on the IL (expected back at some point) & Helenius is scoring well in Rochester. Reports are Tuch wants $11+mil per on a 8 year deal with most of it as signing bonuses (making it buyout proof). Zucker is also currently on the IL who should be back sometime after the holidays. Buffalo would be wise to trade Tuch to improve the rest of the roster or add future assets.
With Doan & Benson as RFAs, a healthy rising salary cap and a dearth of available top 6 UFA forwards Buffalo would be wise to have cap space to protect themselves against low value offer sheets to Benson & Doan.
Plus having a healthy Josh Norris will also minimize the sting of moving on from Alex Tuch.
Buffalo without Tuch is still loaded with forwards and in the case with Ostlund and Helenius can also play center. Tage, Norris, McLeod & Dunne are currently Buffalo’s top 4 centers giving Buffalo line flexibility (Kulich can also play center).
Sherwood is having a great year, but all of these articles that seem to suggest he’s a top 6 forward on a Cup contender.
Yeah they sure do and he isn’t I hate to say it. We’re gonn have another Tanner Jeannot deal on our hands and I don’t think Sherwood disappears like Jeannot did but he’s not a top sixer.
Is that a younger Rodney Dangerfield pictured in this post? It looks like he’s about to say, “no respect, I don’t get no respect at all.”
Billy still thinks the Wild are competing for the cup, I hope he doesn’t mean this season, Minnesota has alot of holes to fill, The blueline is atrocious after Faber, And Hughes, And Hughes is terrible defensively, The forward group after, Kaprizov, And Boldy is slow, And old, And for the most part, Can’t score, The Hughes blockbuster didn’t move the needle nearly as far as one might think.