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Paul Fenton

Minnesota Wild Start Front Office Changes

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If you though the changes in Minnesota were over following the big trades they made this season, you were wrong. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that the team have fired former assistant general managers Andrew Brunette and Shep Harder along with lead hockey researcher Andrew C. Thomas. Russo adds that Chris O’Hearn could potentially be brought in as a replacement AGM, and Bruce Boudreau is expected to return as head coach.

All three of the people the Wild let go would’ve seen their contracts come to an end this summer, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were looking for a shakeup in the front office. After years of making the playoffs but failing to progress, the team brought in GM Paul Fenton to enact drastic change on the organization. The roster looks much different after veterans like Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle were all sent packing, and now the front office will have several new voices as well.

Brunette especially was a well known member of the Wild, going back to his playing days with the team. The veteran of 1,110 NHL games spent several seasons in Minnesota over two stints with the team, and re-joined the organization after retirement in 2012. Harder too had been with the team for more than a decade, starting as an intern.

The Wild missed the playoffs this year for the first time since 2012, but made a commitment to get younger by acquiring pieces like Victor Rask, Ryan Donato and Kevin Fiala. The team also signed top college free agent Nico Sturm, and will have a chance tomorrow at winning the draft lottery to move up in the first round. Still, there are big decisions to be made on what direction the team takes this summer. Veteran defenseman Jared Spurgeon will be entering the final year of his current contract and is eligible for an extension on July 1st. So too is Mikko Koivu, though his future depends much more on how his 36-year old body responds to a major knee injury.

There’s also plenty of work to be done, as Sturm, Donato, Fiala, Joel Eriksson Ek, Pontus Aberg are all restricted free agents that need new contracts. If all five of those players are back with full-time roles, there may not be enough room for the rest of the veteran group including Jason Zucker, who was close to being traded to the Calgary Flames at the deadline and could be a candidate to be moved this summer.

Trade Rumors: Panarin, Staal, Dzingel, Clifford

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For all the talk of an Artemi Panarin trade, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun cautions that the Columbus Blue Jackets keeping the star forward as an “own rental” is a very real possibility. Lebrun believes that it is all a cost-benefit analysis for the team, “because there’s almost no chance GM Jarmo Kekalainen simply sells off Panarin without also trying to replace him in some fashion via a separate transaction.” The Blue Jackets are on a four-game winning streak and, with a win last night over the Washington Capitals, leapfrogged their rivals in points percentage to put them on pace to finish second in the Metropolitan Division. Columbus is still searching for it’s first playoff series win in franchise history and is not going to give up all hope of that accomplishment this season when they have played so well all season and could earn a home ice advantage in the first round. As LeBrun notes, that means that if the Blue Jackets do in fact trade away Panarin, they would only do so knowing they could acquire another player of similar ability for a favorable price. LeBrun believes that Kekalainen continues to monitor the situation in Ottawa, as Senators forwards Matt Duchene or Mark Stone would be the most likely targets. However, if the Senators’ asking price for either Duchene or Stone is too similar to the return on a Panarin trade, the Blue Jackets lack incentive to shake up their roster for only a minor gain in trade capital. Most likely, this means that Panarin could stay in Columbus as an “own rental” rather than be traded if, of course, the Blue Jackets remain hot through the deadline, but also if the demand from Ottawa is more of a flip of trade assets from a Panarin deal. If the Blue Jackets cannot walk away from the deadline with both an immediate replacement from Panarin and significant future piece, it’s possible that the star scorer isn’t going anywhere until this summer.

  • LeBrun also touches on another team having to tackle a cost-benefit analysis. The Minnesota Wild are in a tough spot; the team has been in playoff position all year, but have just one win in their past seven games since the season-ending injury to captain Mikko Koivu. At this rate, the Wild are going to miss the playoffs, as the Vancouver Canucks, Colorado Avalanche, and Arizona Coyotes are right on their tail. However, even a slight improvement could be enough for Minnesota to clinch the final wild card spot. But does that mean they shouldn’t also be sellers? LeBrun writes that without considerable improvement before the deadline, first-year GM Paul Fenton will need to seriously consider trading his most valuable rental piece, Eric Staal. Staal’s absence, especially in light of the loss of Koivu, would likely see the team fall out of playoff position. Yet, his presence likely isn’t enough to get them through the first round anyway. For what it’s worth, LeBrun adds that Staal has not made it easy on the Wild to move him. The veteran center’s trade protection includes a ten-team no-trade list, which LeBrun reports is primarily contenders. This could force Fenton’s hand when it comes to making a decision on Staal. However, even if Staal is open to a move, the team will have to consider the repercussions on their season. The return on the trade in future value would have to be worth the immense risk of missing the postseason, even with little hope of advancing.
  • In updating TSN’s Trade Bait List, Frank Seravalli writes that interest is picking up on Ottawa Senators forward Ryan Dzingel. While the media, and seemingly the Senators themselves, have been primarily focused of Matt Duchene and Mark Stone, Seravalli notes that Dzingel is enjoying a career year and teams are taking notice. With his trade value at a new high, his cap hit still low, and no sign of an extension, Dzingel is certainly on the block and is a valuable asset and Seravalli feels that the chatter points toward a trade. He has moved Dzingel up to No. 19 on the list.
  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Los Angeles Kings forward Kyle Clifford is a person of interest for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the two sides discussed Clifford during the recent Jake Muzzin negotiations. Toronto could go back to Clifford in their pursuit of a physical, bottom-six forward before the deadline. Like the reported interest in Luke Glendening, the only problem for Toronto when it comes to Clifford is term and salary. Clifford has just one year remaining at $1.6MM, but even that might be difficult for the cap-crunched Maple Leafs to spend on a probable fourth-liner. It remains a good potential fit, but the Leafs will likely look for pure rentals before returning to Clifford, unless the Kings are willing to retain salary.

Minnesota, Ottawa Put Three Players On Waivers

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Monday: All three players have cleared waivers and can now be sent to the minor leagues.

Sunday: Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators put three players on waivers Sunday as the Wild placed defenseman Nate Prosser and winger J.T. Brown on waivers, while the Senators put winger Nick Paul on waivers as well. Friedman also reported that Toronto Maple Leafs’ Martin Marincin and Buffalo Sabres’ Remi Elie both cleared waivers.

Loaded with eight defensemen after the team traded for Brad Hunt and claimed Anthony Bitetto off waivers from Nashville, the Wild had to add some roster flexibility. Wild general manager Paul Fenton is starting to get more active as this is the sixth roster move the team has made in less than three weeks. The team had no choice to make a move and still have two of their top young players, Joel Eriksson Ek and Luke Kunin sitting in Iowa, awaiting a recall since the All-Star break.

For Prosser, the move likely means the end of the line in Minnesota. The Wild also have defenseman Matt Dumba on IR currently and while he’s not expected back too soon, the team does expect him back at some point this season, meaning they had to make some move. The 32-year-old veteran was a great locker-room presence, but he has appeared in just 15 games this season and hasn’t registered a point. Prosser has played most of his career in Minnesota since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He did opt to sign in St. Louis before the 2017-18 season, but only played one game for the Blues before the Wild claimed him off of waivers from him. He played 56 games for Minnesota last year. If he passes through waivers, which is no guarantee as many teams might be interested in a veteran defenseman, the team can opt to keep him on the roster or send him to the Iowa Wild of the AHL.

Brown makes his second trip to the waiver wire as Brown was put on waivers last year in January by the Tampa Bay Lightning and claimed by the Anaheim Ducks, playing in a bottom-six role for the Ducks. He then opted to sign with the Wild and has played sporadically, often being designated as a healthy scrtatch. He played in 35 games for Minnesota this year, posting a goal and four points.

As for Ottawa, NHL teams could find some interest in the 6-foot-4 Paul, who is still just 23 years old and has some potential. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown that in 20 games with Ottawa as he’s put up just one goal and two points, while averaging just 8:28 of ice time. He played just 5:17 against Pittsburgh Friday and if he clears looks like he’ll be headed back to Belleville of the AHL. Paul cleared waivers to start the season, but the team had to place him back on waivers to return him to the AHL. He has played 15 games there, posting two goals and 11 points.

New Jersey Devils Acquire Defenseman Ryan Murphy

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The New Jersey Devils and Minnesota Wild have agreed to a swap of depth defensemen, the teams announced this evening. Heading to New Jersey is former first-round pick Ryan Murphy, while collegiate standout Michael Kapla goes the other way to Minnesota. Kapla is the third different defenseman acquired by the Wild in the past ten days, following the trade for Brad Hunt and claim of Anthony Bitetto.

What is clear from this move is that Minnesota and GM Paul Fenton were not happy with their depth on the blue line and have opted to change out multiple players in an attempt to shore up their options on the back end. The recent additions of Hunt and Bitetto were made even as Murphy, a veteran of close to 200 NHL games, toiled in the minors, implying that they did not see the 25-year-old as a solution. Rather than keep Murphy in Iowa with knowledge that they did not trust him to play a role in Minnesota if necessary, Fenton and company decided to swap him out for another AHLer. Kapla, 24, has shown improvement at both ends in his second full pro season with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, but has not been given much opportunity to showcase his talents in New Jersey. The former UMass-Lowell captain has not played an NHL game since the final weeks of the 2016-17 season, right after he initially signed with New Jersey. Kapla may not necessarily see much time in Minnesota right away following this trade, but he was surely open to a change of scenery. If not this season, the impending restricted free agent is at least an intriguing depth piece for the Wild moving forward.

What’s unclear is what the Devils get out of this trade. Of course, Murphy is the more experienced and refined player and has the possession skills and offensive instincts to make a difference in the right NHL situation. However, he is also an impending unrestricted free agent and New Jersey is well outside the current playoff picture with little hope of climbing back in. There is a chance that Murphy could excel with the Devils, NHL or AHL, and earn an extension, but otherwise this is a strange swap of a controllable asset for an expiring one by the team in less need of immediate help. Had the Wild also sent over some other “sweetener” – a late draft pick or low-end prospect – the deal would make some more sense. New Jersey fans just have to hope that Murphy, the 2011 twelfth overall pick, is the one to break out down the stretch and not Kapla, if either do.

Minnesota Wild, Eric Staal Have Not Held Extension Talks

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In terms of rental centers that might be available at the deadline, most of the focus has been placed on just a few names. Matt Duchene, Kevin Hayes and Derick Brassard have been speculated on ad nauseam, but a new name may just enter the conversation before long. Eric Staal of the Minnesota Wild opened up to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) for a superb feature that examines how his play has been affected by the lack of contract talks this year, and how the veteran forward knows that the next few games might decide whether he is playing for the Wild or someone else after the deadline. The biggest takeaway from the piece is that Staal and the Wild have still had no conversations at all regarding a potential extension, despite him being in the final season of a bargain three-year contract and scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency on July 1st.

Though it’s obviously impossible to know just how much a team would pay up for Staal’s services down the stretch, Russo asked a few front office executives who all believed that the Wild would not be able to secure a first-round pick for the 34-year old center. Any asking price though is contingent on what the Wild do over the next few weeks, since they currently sit in third place in the Central Division and would be going to the playoffs if the season ended today. Like other teams over the last few years though, perhaps the Wild know that even if they do make the playoffs they’re not going to be able to navigate the field of powerhouses in the Western Conference. The team would be looking at a first-round matchup with the Nashville Predators at the moment, and getting through both Nashville and the Winnipeg Jets seems almost impossible at the moment.

This isn’t a situation exactly like Columbus, where the Blue Jackets must make a decision about whether holding onto Artemi Panarin through the deadline is worth it. Panarin’s potential return through trade would be enormous, and it seems less and less likely that he wants to re-sign with the Blue Jackets at the end of the season. Staal is open about his desire to stay in Minnesota if possible, and if the potential return is just say, a second-round pick, it’s hard to imagine Fenton slapping a for sale sticker on his first-line center.

Still, there’s a reason why Staal still found himself in our Top-20 Midseason UFA Power Rankings. The veteran center brings almost everything that a contender like the Jets, Boston Bruins or Pittsburgh Penguins would be looking for at the deadline, and should have several suitors chasing him in free agency if he reaches it. A recent resurgence has him with 36 points through 49 games this season, just after recording 42 goals and 76 points for the Wild in 2017-18. While a first-round pick at this exact moment may be out of reach, remember how the Bruins ended up paying a lofty price to secure another veteran goal scorer last season. Rick Nash cost Boston a first-round pick and prospect Ryan Lindgren, even if the Rangers did take some salary back in Ryan Spooner and Matt Beleskey. If an arms race does ramp up closer to the deadline, Staal might be the ticket to recouping some of the draft picks the Wild have sent packing over the last few seasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the trade deadline fast approaching, we will be taking a closer look at the situation for each team over the coming weeks.  Where do they stand, what do they need to do, and what assets do they have to fill those needs? As we continue with the Central Division, here is a look at the Minnesota Wild.

First-year GM Paul Fenton said it himself today that the Wild “can’t trade draft picks” this year due to their lack of depth in the pipeline. Yet, did they not just trade a fifth-round pick for defenseman Brad Hunt a few days ago? Fenton’s message is clear that the team is worried about their lack of youth on the NHL roster and few elite prospects in the system. He surely does not intend for Minnesota to be a “buyer” in the traditional sense this year. However, there is no reason to think that all of the Wild’s draft picks and prospects are off the table.

Minnesota has quietly won eight of their past twelve games and, while the myriad other teams competing for the final spot in the Central Division or a wild card berth continue to struggle to make up ground, the Wild have pulled away with a three-point lead over the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche. There are still many games left, but Minnesota is starting to differentiate themselves as a legitimate playoff team. With that status comes a need to strengthen the roster and address problem areas – especially the 24th-ranked offense – to make the most of a postseason opportunity. Perhaps Fenton and company can succeed in those goals with pure hockey trades, but odds are the team will warm up to moving more late picks or middling prospects if that’s what it takes.

Record

26-21-3, third in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyer

Deadline Cap Space

$11.87MM of full-season cap hit, 0/3 used salary cap retention slots, 47/50 contracts per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2019: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN or WAS 5th*, MIN 6th, MIN 7th
2020: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, MIN 5th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th
* – Wild owe the Vegas Golden Knights the better of their two 2019 fifth-round picks in return for Brad Hunt

Trade Chips

If you believe what Fenton says, then the Wild will be unwilling to move their best trade capital this deadline season. While he namely is talking about high draft picks, that likely also includes top prospects like forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Luke Kunin, and Ivan Lodnia, defenseman Filip Johansson, and goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen. The recent emergence of Jordan Greenway at the NHL level also makes him untouchable. If a team is looking to land a top young player for their rental at the deadline, they likely won’t find one from Minnesota.

However, Fenton’s willingness to make hockey trades – one-for-one player swaps – opens up many other possibilities. 26-year-old forward Charlie Coyle has long been a fixture on the trade block and this could be the year that the Wild finally move the two-way contributor and his team-friendly contract. The other roster forward that could garner considerable attention is 22-year-old Joel Eriksson Ek, who just can’t seem to find his way at the NHL level and could use a change of scenery. With defenseman Mathew Dumba potentially sidelined for the season, Minnesota would be hard-pressed to remain a factor in the Western Conference playoff race while also trading away any of their blue line regulars. However, AHLers Louie Belpedio and Carson Soucy could be intriguing options for rebuilding teams.

Outside of the pro ranks, some other prospects who could be on the move include Providence College forward Brandon Duhaime or London Knights defenseman Jacob Golden, but the Wild will likely be hesitant to move younger prospects if they don’t have to.

With every win, the Wild become less and less likely to entertain any offers for their own impending free agents. In what is already a buyer’s market, Minnesota is unlikely to get great value for their UFA’s and would be better served to hold on to them, whether that’s star veteran Eric Staal or valued depth like forward Eric Fehr, defenseman Nate Prosser, and goaltender Alex Stalock. One piece that could move is current third-string goaltender Andrew Hammond, if a contending team is willing to pay for depth in net.

Five Players To Watch For: F Charlie Coyle, F Joel Eriksson Ek, D Carson Soucy, F Mason Shaw, G Andrew Hammond

Team Needs

1) Scoring Winger: To Fenton’s credit, he has addressed many of Minnesota’s needs already, adding Hunt to improve defensive depth, trading for Victor Rask to add another capable center, and even grabbing Pontus Aberg to help improve scoring. However, the slumping Rask and unproven Aberg alone are not going to turn around one the league’s least impressive offenses, especially with Nino Niederreiter now gone. Outside of Zach Parise and Mikael Granlund, no Wild forward has wowed offensively this season. The team needs to add another goal-scoring forward, preferably a winger, and they need to do it this year if they want to compete with other contenders in the postseason. If Fenton wants to make long-term hockey trades, he could look at adding someone like the Los Angeles Kings’ Tyler Toffoli or the New York Rangers’ Chris Kreider in a deal for a player like Eriksson Ek. If he comes around to the idea of an affordable rental, the Rangers’ Mats Zuccarello may be a better option, while the Ottawa Senators’ Ryan Dzingel or the Detroit Red Wings’ Gustav Nyquist could also be fits. It will all depend on the asking price. If they can add two scoring wingers, even better.

2) Draft Picks: One thing is certain – Fenton’s assessment of the team’s pipeline is not wrong. The Wild lack almost any prospects who realistically project to be top NHL players and desperately need to reload the system with some talent. When it comes to moving pieces around, especially if they do opt to trade away impending free agents, Minnesota would be wise to continue to protect their own high draft picks while trying to add more valuable picks along the way.

Minnesota Wild “Can’t Trade Draft Picks” As Deadline Nears

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The Minnesota Wild have been a very good team for a very long time. Six straight playoff appearances with a 247-158-53 record over that time proved it, but former GM Chuck Fletcher still received the boot last offseason because of the lack of postseason success. In those six appearances, the Wild never progressed past the second round and haven’t had a sniff of the Stanley Cup. This year, under the direction of new GM Paul Fenton, the Wild are a good team once again. With a 26-21-3 record Minnesota currently holds the third playoff spot in the Central Division and would surprise no one if they announced themselves as buyers at next month’s trade deadline. If they are buyers though, Fenton won’t be selling off the future this time around.

In a wide ranging interview with The Athletic’s Michael Russo (subscription required), Fenton explains his team’s position this season and how he simply won’t mortgage the future anymore to try and take this group to the Stanley Cup Finals. Very simply, Fenton explains that the Wild “can’t trade draft picks” given the lack of prospect development over the last few years.

Though the Wild did hold onto their first-round pick last June—selecting Filip Johansson, who continues to develop in Sweden—there’s not a ton left in the prospect cupboard for Minnesota. The team’s first selection in 2017 was 85th overall, while 2015 and 2016 produced Luke Kunin, Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway who have all basically graduated to the NHL, regardless of what you might think of their production at this point. 2014 brought Alex Tuch, but he was lost in a Vegas Golden Knights expansion deal that sent Erik Haula to the sin city.

There are other names, including high-flying Russian star Kirill Kaprizov who may or may not ever appear in a Minnesota sweater, but for the most part the Wild’s system needs some talent injected into it from a full draft class. Even that looks impossible this year as the team still owes Arizona a fourth-round pick from the Martin Hanzal deal of two years ago and has already sent a fifth-round pick for Brad Hunt in recent days. At this point, selling off any more draft picks would make it a quiet day in June at the draft in Vancouver.

So, “hockey trades” are in order for Minnesota like the one they made earlier this month with the Carolina Hurricanes. There is work for Fenton to do on an aging roster, but he certainly doesn’t sound like he’ll be in the rental business next month, unless he’s the one selling. The team does have a huge trade chip in pending unrestricted free agent Eric Staal, but the team would likely have to fall out of the running to make a move like that, according to Russo.

Snapshots: Boeser, Kaprizov, Europe

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The Vancouver Canucks have sent Brock Boeser back to Vancouver to see a specialist about his groin injury, and will not play tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins according to Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet. The move is precautionary in nature, but the Canucks cannot risk further injury to one of their star players after surprising the league with such a hot start. The team is currently on a six game road trip that will end in Boeser’s home state of Minnesota a week from today.

Vancouver is currently tied for the lead in the Pacific Division despite having played one more game than the San Jose Sharks, and will continue to try and ride a hot Elias Pettersson towards at least a wild card spot. Boeser is the obvious complement to Pettersson up front, but after a serious injury ended his 2017-18 season and already missing three games earlier this year with the groin issue, the team can’t afford to rush him back again. Even with their surprise performance through the first month of the season, GM Jim Benning and the entire organization has to worry about the future and how to get a healthy and productive Boeser back on the ice.

  • It may have been just GM Paul Fenton that traveled to Russia to speak with prized prospect Kirill Kaprizov, but don’t think the entire Minnesota Wild organization wasn’t keeping close tabs on the meeting. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required), Wild owner Craig Leipold wanted to accompany Fenton on the trip but thanks to an injured hip could only send a personal letter, written in Russian. Though the young forward is still under contract in the KHL until 2020, Fenton told Leipold that he thinks Kaprizov “would come right now if he could.” The Wild are still a long way from knowing for sure if they can pencil the dynamic forward into their 2020-21 lineup, but this meeting—and the letter—seem to have at least moved the conversation in the right direction.
  • Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic caught up with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly on TSN radio today, and was told that it is “inevitable” that there will eventually be NHL teams in Europe. The league has worked hard to expand their brand overseas in recent years, including the Global Series games that have seen NHL teams play regular season matches on foreign soil (or ice, as it were). The KHL has already expanded outside of Russia and into several other countries including China, Finland and Slovakia, meaning the NHL would have a fight on their hands if they wanted to put down roots in any of those markets.

Minnesota Wild Will Be Patient With Potential Eric Staal Extension

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It’s hard to rank the absolute best contract in the league given the varied contributions that hockey players provide, but near the top of any list would have to be Eric Staal. The former Carolina Hurricanes captain found himself struggling to record much offense during the 2015-16 season and was eventually traded to the New York Rangers. The move did nothing to help Staal’s play and when he became an unrestricted free agent in the summer there wasn’t a big money, long-term deal waiting. A 31-year old center who had registered 781 points in 929 games, won a Stanley Cup and was a two-time 40-goal scorer was forced to take a three-year, $10.5MM deal from the Minnesota Wild in order to refresh his career, and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to him.

Staal took off almost immediately in Minnesota, scoring 13 points in his first 14 games while being given more and more ice time. Head coach Bruce Boudreau realized what he had, and Staal would end up registering 65 points for the Wild in the 2016-17 season. Already the contract was a bargain, but there was even more to come. Staal scored 42 goals this season, trailing only Alex Ovechkin, Patrik Laine and William Karlsson for the league lead. His 76 points were the most he’d had in a single season since 2010-11, and with just a $3.5MM cap hit he likely will go down as the best contract given out during the 2016 offseason—a summer that was marked with terrible deals like the ones given to Milan Lucic, Loui Eriksson and Troy Brouwer.

Now, the Wild have to start considering whether to extend Staal into the future. He’ll turn 34 just a few weeks into the 2018-19 season, and could at any point take a sharp downward turn in production. He’s had struggles before, and age is bound to catch up with him one day. In Michael Russo of The Athletic’s recent mailbag (subscription required), he writes that new Minnesota GM Paul Fenton will wait until the year begins to start any extension talks, wanting to see his production first hand. Russo also suggests that Staal could be a trade deadline piece if the Wild take a step backwards this year.

If they do falter and Staal is available, there are plenty of teams who would be willing to pay up to bring him aboard this time around. As long as he’s not mired in a huge slump, or obviously feeling the effects of age, he could likely bring back a substantial package for the Wild. In 2016 when the Rangers acquired him, it cost them two second-round picks and prospect Aleksi Saarela. That was during Staal’s worst offensive season of his career, and during a stretch where he had scored just one goal and five points in his last 19 games.

Russo also broaches the subject of a possible extension though, suggesting—though qualifying it as a “total shot in the dark”—that it could come in around $5MM per season. That would make sense for a player of his age, though it would obviously depend on how many seasons the Wild are willing to commit for. If Staal is still producing at a high level, perhaps he would be more comparable to the three-year $18.75MM contracts that both Patrick Marleau and Ilya Kovalchuk recently signed. Staal even plays a more premium position at center, and has easily out-produced Marleau for each of the last two seasons.

Regardless, the Wild will have to wait and see where their team is after an offseason that hasn’t brought a lot of change. The team hopes young players like Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway can make a big difference, but they’ll have to experience improved health from some of their other key players and another solid season in net from Devan Dubnyk. If there isn’t an improvement on the ice, perhaps we’ll be talking about Staal as a trade candidate in January, instead of someone who is there to help turn things around in Minnesota.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Jason Zucker Hoping To Stay In Minnesota

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Of all the players scheduled for salary arbitration in the coming weeks, perhaps no case is likely to go all the way through the hearing and the decision than that of Jason Zucker. The Minnesota Wild forward is coming off of an incredible year, scoring a career-high 33 goals and 64 points, both of which were top-three for Minnesota. However, he is also coming off of a $2MM salary and is due a substantial raise. The problem with this scenario is that the Wild are lacking in cap flexibility, facing less than $11MM in space with both Zucker and young stalwart defender  Matt Dumba yet to sign. A lack of cap space cannot be used as an argument in an arbitration hearing, but Minnesota will use whatever else they can to drive down the price on Zucker. If they are unsuccessful, Zucker is likely to land in the $5MM+ range that could make things difficult on the Wild and possibly force a trade.

For what it’s worth, Zucker hopes that it won’t come to that. Speaking with Dane Mizutani of TwinCities.com, Zucker confirms that he and agent Eustace King are still busy negotiating with the Wild in hopes of coming to a resolution. Zucker states:

“I want to be in Minnesota; I love Minnesota. My family roots are now here. This is a second home to us and I want to be here. We have a great team. We have a lot of really good things going for us. … If it was my choice, I’d be here playing for the Wild next season.”

The 26-year-old met his wife in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and the couple now have two kids. Mizutani writes that Zucker is also very involved with the community, including leading a campaign to support a local children’s hospital. He clearly has strong ties to the area and a passion for the organization and would like to stay put.

With that said, Zucker also understands the reality of the situation. He adds that “it’s part of the business. If I get traded, it is what it is and I’ll look forward to a fresh start.” Zucker is confident in his ability, even stating that he feels he has room to get better and would likely expect to be compensated as such. Zucker sounds like he is honestly hoping to remain with Minnesota, but also doesn’t sound like a player about to take a hometown discount. Only time, and possibly an arbitrator, will tell what happens next with Zucker and the Wild.

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