Bill Guerin’s best moves have a way of creating the next problem. He landed the GM of the Year buzz thanks in large part to the Quinn Hughes trade, then kept the spotlight on himself by retaining Kirill Kaprizov and adding Michael McCarron and other depth pieces at the deadline. But one of the most useful pieces of Minnesota’s 2025-26 puzzle actually came on the final day of the 2024-25 season, when Guerin grabbed Vladimir Tarasenko from the Detroit Red Wings for “future considerations.”
That was a straight salary dump from Steve Yzerman after an uneven year, and it gave the Wild a chance to buy low on a winger who turned in a 23-goal, 47-point season. The smart part, from Minnesota’s side, is that Guerin doesn’t seem eager to repeat the old habit of rewarding a surprise success by immediately doubling down. Tarasenko is still a free agent, and the Wild look comfortable either filling that spot internally or waiting for another bargain to surface.
That bargain might be Chris Kreider.
If Anaheim has to clear money after the Philadelphia Flyers handed Leo Carlsson a five-year, $90 million contract offer sheet, the Ducks could be staring at some uncomfortable decisions. Elliotte Friedman laid out the pressure on his 32 Thoughts Podcast: "[Anaheim's] got three guys with some degree of trade protection: Chris Kreider, Alex Killorn, Frank Vatrano," Elliotte Friedman explained on his 32 Thoughts Podcast. "[They] might have to move one or two of them, maybe all three of them."
Kreider fits the same basic lane as Tarasenko, only with a few traits that make him look even more appealing for Minnesota. He’s 35, he’s coming off a decline phase, and he’s still productive enough to matter. Last season with Anaheim, he scored 22 goals and finished with 50 points, good for fourth and seventh on the team, while helping the Ducks get to the playoffs.
He also checks a lot of the boxes Guerin tends to like. Kreider is American, from Massachusetts, and went to Boston College.
He’s a real power forward at 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds. And even if he’s probably past the point of making the USA Olympic Team, Guerin liked him enough to put him on the 4 Nations Face-Off squad.
On the ice, Kreider would give Minnesota something Tarasenko didn’t quite supply. He still has the speed to play higher in the lineup, which is part of why he logged 17 minutes a night with the Ducks, compared with Tarasenko’s 15.
His defensive game isn’t what it used to be, but in John Hynes’ structure he could still be a neutral presence in his own end. That matters for a Wild team that needs another top-six wing after Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson left this offseason.
Tarasenko did his job in a narrower role. He was useful on the third line and on the power play, but he never really clicked with Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, and he was less effective when the competition got tougher.
Kreider’s speed and his history as a finisher for elite playmakers make him a cleaner fit next to either of Minnesota’s top stars. He’s especially interesting on Kaprizov’s opposite wing, where his north-south game could change the look of that line in a major way.
The catch is the money. Minnesota is already sitting about $1.12 million under the cap after Guerin’s moves since free agency opened, so taking on Kreider’s $6.75 million hit would require another move to create room.
The Wild do have options. Guerin already moved Jake Middleton’s salary while taking on $1.6 million between Blake Coleman and Olli Määttä after Middleton’s trade restrictions loosened on July 1.
Ryan Hartman’s no-trade list has dropped from 15 teams to 10, which makes his $4 million expiring deal more movable. Yakov Trenin, at a $3.5 million AAV, is another name Minnesota could use to free space.
If Guerin wants to go bigger, the defense is there too. Jared Spurgeon carries a $7.575 million cap hit, though his final-year salary is only $6.025 million, and a cap-rich team could be interested if it’s not on his 10-team no-trade list. Jonas Brodin would open up more than $6 million in space and could bring back assets that Minnesota could then use in its pursuit of Dylan Larkin.
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His opening score of 15 points gave him a respectable place on a leaderboard that tends to shift quickly in this format, and he also flashed the kind of shot-making that can make a hockey player stand out on a golf course. Boldy will get another chance to climb when round two begins Saturday morning, with the tournament still wide open and plenty of attention left to be earned. [Read more 🡒]