The Minnesota Wild didn’t come away empty-handed, but they also didn’t force the issue.
Wild GM Bill Guerin said the team stayed patient when prices climbed too high, backing out of some conversations while other deals simply never got across the line. As he put it, “a new day.” Even with those misses, Minnesota still has time to address its needs and still has trade options on the table.
Over in Tampa Bay, the Lightning are sorting out their goaltending picture after bringing in Dennis Hildeby. GM Julien BriseBois said Hildeby will serve as the backup, while the team will try to find a fit for Jonas Johansson.
BriseBois also addressed Nikita Kucherov’s extension situation, saying there isn’t an update yet but the Lightning will come back to it. He said he has spoken with Kucherov’s agent, Dan Milstein, and that free agency has taken up more of his attention over the past few weeks than in years past.
“That kind of took precedent, I would say the last few weeks, but I’m sure we’ll circle back. I know we will. We’ll circle back to his representative, and when we have something to announce, we’ll make an announcement.”
On the blue line, BriseBois said the Lightning have options if they want to add a right-handed defenseman. He pointed to Moser, D’Astous, and Lilleberg as players who can handle both sides, and noted there are still names in circulation.
“There’s still some players out there, there’s some trade talk going on. I don’t know that it’s necessarily going to lead to anything in the short term but I would say right now we have 7 defensemen that are really good NHL defensemen that we like.”
In Other News...
Lightning Just Reshaped The Roster With One Stunning Day Of Moves
Julien BriseBois has made it clear the market is moving, and the Lightning are trying to keep pace without boxing themselves into a corner later. On a busy day of roster work, Tampa Bay added defenseman John Carlson on a two-year deal and brought in forwards Ilya Mikheyev and Jeffrey Viel to address needs up front, a set of moves that speaks to both urgency and planning as the front office tries to thread the needle between immediate help and long-term flexibility.
There was also a bigger ripple beyond the new additions, because the roster churn did not stop there. BriseBois is still navigating extension talks with Nikita Kucherov, and those discussions remain part of the larger picture as the Lightning reshape the lineup around him. With trade conversations picking up around the league, Tampa Bays latest flurry suggests more change could still be coming before the dust fully settles. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Finally Landed The Blue-Line Addition Fans Were Waiting For
The Lightning finally got their blue-line addition, landing John Carlson on a two-year deal after spending the day waiting on one of the markets most accomplished defensemen. For a team looking to strengthen the back end, Carlson brings a long track record of staying relevant at the NHL level, with more than 1,100 games and a rsum that includes a Stanley Cup and multiple league honors.
What makes the fit intriguing is the way the move came together, with Tampa Bay able to step in after Carlsons path took him from Washington to Anaheim before arriving in Florida. He was still productive in the stretch after that trade, and now the bigger question is how quickly the Lightning can fold a veteran of his caliber into their lineup and whether this is the final major piece they wanted on the blue line. [Read more 🡒]