What did the Wild really get at the NHL trade deadline?
With 19 games to go, the Minnesota Wild are in great shape to make the playoffs. They also enter Sunday's slate of NHL action in good position in both the Central Division and the Western Conference after their latest win Saturday night in Calgary.
With Money Puck giving the Wild just over a 91 percent chance to make the playoffs, general manager Bill Guerin decided to be active at the NHL's trade deadline after weeks of playing financial broker. The result was an increase in the team's depth at forward, but it also appeared to be largely cosmetic moves that may not move the needle for a fringe contender.
Guerin's quest for offense was understandable. The Wild rank 25th in the NHL with 175 goals scored and the offense has been carried by Kirill Kaprizov in recent weeks.
Case in point? The Wild have scored 19 goals during their nine-game point streak (8-0-1) and Kaprizov has scored eight of the goals. Add an assist and being on the ice for another goal and Kaprizov has had some role in 10 of the Wild's past 19 goals.
Compare this to someone like Matt Boldy, who has just 12 points (5 G, 9 A) in 21 games since signing a seven-year, $49 million contract on Jan. 16. His goal Saturday night was his first since Jan. 26.
It might be unfair to point the finger at Boldy for the team's offensive struggles, but you could go up and down the lineup to find players like Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno, who have failed to replicate their career-high production from a year ago.
That led Guerin into the trade waters beginning with the acquisition of Marcus Johansson. Johansson had just 14 points in 36 games with the Wild during the 2020-21 season but was also limited by injuries. Johansson had 28 points (13 G, 15 A) in 60 games with the Capitals and his assist Saturday night was his first point with the Wild.
The same goes for Gustav Nyquist, who was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2023 fifth-rounder. In 48 games, Nyquist has 22 points (10 G, 12 A) but is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury that the Wild hope won't keep him out for the season.
The acquisitions continued on Friday when the Wild acquired Oskar Sundqvist from the Detroit Red Wings. Sundqvist had 21 points in 52 games for the Red Wings this season but even this move provides more questions than answers.
If Guerin was looking to add depth at forward, the deadline was a success. But none of these moves turn the Wild into a surefire contender. If anything, the Wild made slight upgrades over Frederick Gaudreau (11 G, 14 A), Sam Steel (8 G, 14 A) and Connor Dewar (5 G, 8 A).
Even the Wild's acquisition of John Klingberg seemed redundant. Klingberg is a quality offensive defenseman with eight goals and 16 assists in 50 games with the Anaheim Ducks and can operate a power play. But with a plus/minus rating of -28, what is the difference from Calen Addison, who has 28 points (3 G, 25 A) overall, 18 assists on the power play and a -18 rating? Experience is the obvious answer, but it remains to be seen how much better he'll make Minnesota.
That's not to say the trade deadline was a complete bust. The deal that sent Jordan Greenway to the Buffalo Sabres was a coup for Guerin as he acquired Vegas's 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 5th-round pick. The 2024 draft class may be an unknown, but getting another pick in a deep 2023 class is always a good idea – especially when it comes from dealing a disappointing player like Greenway.
Greenway's shoulder injury didn't help his production (2 G, 5 A in 45 games), but it never seemed like he played up to his 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame. Although he became a staple of the GREEF line that became known as one of the league's best defensive lines in the league last season, the trade isn't a big loss and gives Guerin more draft capital.
In the end, that might be the biggest positive in the Wild's deadline moves. After accumulating a pair of fifth-round picks as a broker in the trades that sent Ryan O'Reilly to Toronto and Dmitry Orlov to Boston (one of which was used to acquire Nyquist), the Wild have more assets to build the top-ranked farm system in the NHL.
But in the end, most of the moves that Guerin made seemed cosmetic for a team that he suggested needs to figure things out internally. Maybe that depth will play a pivotal role in the playoffs, but the Wild aren't much better than they were prior to the deadline.
