The Minnesota Wild find themselves in a bit of a pickle as they navigate the offseason without a first-round pick in the NHL Draft. The team is on a mission to secure a top-line center, and general manager Bill Guerin has been burning the midnight oil trying to bring Dylan Larkin over from the Detroit Red Wings.
However, the St. Louis Blues may have just thrown a wrench into those plans with their savvy draft night maneuver.
St. Louis made waves by trading their 15th and 29th overall picks to snag Mason McTavish from the Anaheim Ducks.
This move bolsters the Blues' center depth, complementing their top-line pivot Robert Thomas and restricted free agent Connor McMichael. With Thomas reportedly off the trading table, the Blues have checked off a major box on their offseason to-do list, potentially cranking up the heat on Guerin and his team as the offseason drama unfolds.
McTavish, the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, is a bit of a gamble but could pay off handsomely for St. Louis.
He put up 77 goals and 181 points in 304 games with the Ducks, though he hit a rough patch with coach Joel Quenneville last season. Despite tallying 17 goals and 41 points, McTavish found himself relegated to the fourth line and even scratched during Anaheim's playoff push.
Now in St. Louis, McTavish is poised for a fresh start.
Standing at 6-foot-1 and weighing 219 pounds, he brings the physicality to play center but also the versatility to shift to the wing, stepping into the shoes of Jordan Kyrou, who was recently dealt to the Washington Capitals. With Thomas anchoring the top line, McTavish can develop without the weight of the world on his shoulders, offering St.
Louis the kind of depth Minnesota is desperately seeking.
Meanwhile, the Wild's pursuit of Larkin is hitting some snags. Talks with Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman haven't yielded a deal, with Minnesota's limited assets proving to be a sticking point. Adding to the pressure, the Dallas Stars are lurking as potential suitors for Larkin, meaning the clock is ticking for the Wild to secure their prized offseason target.
The stakes are high, with free agents like Mats Zuccarello and Vladimir Tarasenko anxiously awaiting the outcome of the Wild's chase for Larkin. Now, with a Central Division rival strengthening their roster, Minnesota may need to kick their efforts into high gear to avoid missing out on their top-line center ambitions.
In Other News...
Wild Just Made A Familiar Minnesota Hockey Move With Bigger Stakes
The Iowa Wild are turning to a familiar face with deep roots in Minnesota hockey, giving the organization a coach who knows the state, the league and the developmental grind that comes with running an AHL team. The move was announced by Wild president Bill Guerin and Iowa Wild general manager Matt Hendricks, a pairing that shows how much internal confidence there is in the hire and how closely the parent club is tied to what happens in Des Moines.
Stu Bickel brings a coaching resume built over five seasons as an AHL assistant, along with stops at the University of Minnesota and with the Minnesota Magicians, so this is not a leap into the unknown. He also has the kind of playing background that tends to carry weight in these rooms, with NHL experience and a past connection to the Wild organization itself, which makes this feel like more than just a standard affiliate hire as Iowa keeps feeding the pipeline for Minnesota. [Read more 🡒]
Bill Guerin Just Made Wild Fans Sweat About Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes is now in the final year of his current deal, and Bill Guerin has already started to ease Wild fans into the idea that this is not necessarily a one-day, July 1 kind of process. The Minnesota general manager said a new extension may not get announced immediately, but the expectation is that something should come together before training camp, which at least gives the team some breathing room as it heads into a busy summer.
Still, the calendar matters here because the real stress point would be if Hughes is sitting there without a new contract once camp opens. Minnesota is juggling plenty at the same time, from potential free-agent additions and draft moves to its pursuit of Dylan Larkin, but Hughes remains the name that will define how loud this offseason feels around the Wild. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Rumors Hint At A Franchise Changing Decision In Net
The goaltending market has been one of the leagues busier storylines, and Buffalo keeps showing up in the middle of it. Edmonton seriously explored a move for Devon Levi before it fell through, while the Sabres have also been linked to a potential swap with Winnipeg around Connor Hellebuyck, a sign that teams are still trying to reshape the position before the next round of roster decisions really sets in.
For Minnesota, the ripple effect is harder to ignore because of the unsettled feeling around its own summer plans. Mats Zuccarello is said to be pretty ticked about how things have unfolded and plans to test free agency, which only adds to the sense that the Wild are navigating a tricky stretch with veteran pieces and cap decisions hanging over the roster. Elsewhere around the league, the trade and signing market keeps moving, but the bigger question for Minnesota is how much more movement it can afford before its own situation turns from complicated to costly. [Read more 🡒]