The Minnesota Wild didn’t enter Wednesday expecting to make a splash, and that part was no surprise. The problem for president of hockey operations Bill Guerin is that the splash wasn’t there to make anyway.
Minnesota still doesn’t have the cap space for a meaningful unrestricted free agent addition, which left Guerin watching the opening wave of free agency while other teams moved pieces around. The Wild also came up short again on Dylan Larkin, a recent miss that only added to the feeling that the club is trying to patch holes with limited tools.
The day did bring movement elsewhere, just not the kind Minnesota wanted. Vincent Trocheck, one of Billy’s favorite 2026 trade deadline targets, landed in Utah.
Not long after, Anders Lee joined the Mammoth too. The Edina native wrestled with the call, but the Wild once again came up short.
According to Michael Russo, Lee signed a three-year deal worth $5.4 million in Utah, and his decision came after Minnesota gave him a presentation earlier in the day.
Russo also reported that when Lee chose Utah, agent Neil Sheehy told him, "I'll call Billy," and Lee replied, "No, I'll call Billy."
With the big swings off the table, Guerin shifted to the lower end of the roster and added some veteran help. Minnesota agreed to terms with Nick Foligno for $900K and Zach Bogosian for $1.25M.
The most important depth move came in goal. Filip Gustavsson is expected to miss the first 1-3 months of the season, so the Wild needed a stopgap, and they found one in 34-year-old Calvin Pickard. Minnesota signed him to a one-year, $1M contract for 2026-27.
Pickard brings a lot of experience to the job. He has played in 191 NHL games over an 11-year career, with 157 starts, and spent the last three seasons in Edmonton.
There, he started 64 of the Oilers’ 246 regular season games. Last season, the former second-round pick in 2010 appeared in 16 games and started 13.
His career numbers are respectable at a 2.96 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage, though his final year in Edmonton was rough. He posted an .87 save percentage and allowed 3.68 goals against per game.
Minnesota also added more organizational depth with a batch of two-way contracts. The Wild signed centers Dylan Gambrell and Mason Shaw, winger Jagger Joshua, and center/wing Justin Kirkland for next season.
Gambrell stands out from that group. He has 233 NHL games on his resume, with 17 goals and 23 assists, but he hasn’t appeared in the league since 2022-23. In his only season with the organization, though, he put up 10 goals and 36 points in 35 games for Iowa last year.
The rest of the two-way group brings limited NHL production. Mason Shaw has 82 games played, Justin Kirkland 50, and Jagger Joshua none at all. Together, they’ve combined for 22 NHL points.
There’s still a long runway before puck drops on game one of the 2026-27 season, but the Wild’s position is clear right now. They’re still missing three top-six forwards, and with less than $4 million to spend, according to PuckPedia.com, the options are thin.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Will Hate What Reportedly Killed This Center Pursuit
Minnesotas interest in Dylan Larkin apparently went beyond casual trade chatter, with president Bill Guerin making regular contact with Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman as the Wild explored whether there was any real path to landing the Red Wings captain. The pursuit had the feel of a classic front-office swing for a proven center, the kind of move that can reshape a teams middle-six and change the look of a roster heading into free agency.
What ultimately stalled things was the price Detroit was pushing, and Minnesota was not willing to go there. With the opening of free agency, the Wild have moved on from the idea of prying Larkin loose, leaving Guerin to pivot elsewhere while the fan base is left to wonder how close the team really came to making a major splash at center. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Quietly Make A Veteran Depth Decision Before Free Agency
The Wild are lining up a pair of familiar veteran pieces before free agency opens, a move that would keep some stability on a roster that values experience as much as upside. Nick Foligno, who arrived at the trade deadline, and Zach Bogosian, brought in later as a depth addition on the blue line, both gave Minnesota the kind of low-drama, situational help that can matter over the long haul more than it shows up in the box score.
Michael Russo of The Athletic reports the expectation is that each player returns on a one-year deal, giving the Wild another season of seasoned presence without a bigger summer commitment. For Foligno, it also sets up a chance to spend a full year in Minnesota alongside his younger brother Marcus, while Bogosian would remain part of the right-side defensive mix and available when injuries or lineup shuffles inevitably hit. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Could Be Setting Up The Move Wild Fans Dread
The Wilds search for a top-line center has already turned into one of those watch-and-wait situations that can define a summer, with Dylan Larkin still the name most closely tied to Minnesota. Detroit has not budged, and Steve Yzermans stance has kept the door firmly shut unless the offer is strong enough to change his mind, which leaves the Wild stuck trying to gauge whether their best-fit target is even realistically available.
What makes the situation more unnerving for Minnesota is the way other contenders can reshape the market before the Wild get their chance to strike. The Stars have been watching the defense market closely and have their own ambitions, which could affect how aggressive teams get as the board starts to move. For a Wild club looking to add a difference-maker down the middle, the longer this drags on, the more it feels like the rest of the league is setting the terms. [Read more 🡒]