Article: The Wild Face Two Hurdles In Trying To Land Ryan O'Reilly

[Robert Brent]

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[Pewterschmidt]

I’m afraid to see what Billy Meatball’s gives up if we land 53 year old ROR.  Better win it all this season because we won’t have an NHL prospect in our system until 2030

Edited December 30, 2025 by Pewterschmidt

[MNCountryLife]

ROR's contract also expires at the end of 26-27.   Born Feb 7th he will be 36 when his contract expires.   Maybe two more years.  He sure hasn't shown his age. 

[MNCountryLife]

The Wild traded a 1,2,3 & 4 rounder and Hunt for Jiricek... got a 5th back.  I'm really not sure why his value would be less.  At 22 and knowing that bigger players tend to take a bit longer to establish themselves I think Jiricek's value would still be considered comparable.  Add in that Hunt has been playing quite well I think Jiricek is expendable.  That being said... I still think Jiricek has a future in the NHL and just needs games and a bit more simmering in the kettle.

[WildNotMild]

Probably won’t be a popular comment, but I think the Wild should have gotten a solid youngish center for the haul it gave up for Hughes.  Why?  Because although Hughes is a superstar player, I don’t think he will help this version of the Wild in the playoffs.  With Hughes, it means Faber is the “big bad” in the top 4 d-men.  That is significant in that I don’t think most people would consider Faber a big bully like d-man.  In addition, Spurgeon is small and although Brodin is still elite, he isn’t physical.  The big d-men (Bogo and Midsy) are regulated to the 3rd pair and will have limited minutes come playoffs.

Compounding the above issue, the Wild have several smaller forwards and/or guys who aren’t physical (Zuccy, NoJo, Hinne, etc.)

Bottomline, I think the Wild are fun to watch, but it gave up a lot for a dynamic d-man when the most glaring weakness was size and grit in the top two forward lines.  Maybe GMBG can pull off a Tuch rental with the remaining assets, but there isn’t a lot left.  Especially when I think it would be a bad idea to trade the Wall or Yurov.

Could the same trade package have gotten us Thompson and Tuch or even BT?  The d corps was solid before the trade.  Also, consider that Rossi was deemed too small and was thicker than Hughes, with Hughes being on the ice twice as much as Rossi.

If Hughes doesn’t resign, I think the Wild gave up way too much.  Even if he does resign, I think the Wild are 1-2 top 6 forwards away and likely a top 4 d-man with size and nastiness.

I think the Wild are a better regular season team, but not a better playoff team after the trade.  I hope they prove me wrong come playoffs.

[Pewterschmidt]

10 minutes ago, WildNotMild said:

Probably won’t be a popular comment, but I think the Wild should have gotten a solid youngish center for the haul it gave up for Hughes.  Why?  Because although Hughes is a superstar player, I don’t think he will help this version of the Wild in the playoffs.  With Hughes, it means Faber is the “big bad” in the top 4 d-men.  That is significant in that I don’t think most people would consider Faber a big bully like d-man.  In addition, Spurgeon is small and although Brodin is still elite, he isn’t physical.  The big d-men (Bogo and Midsy) are regulated to the 3rd pair and will have limited minutes come playoffs.

Compounding the above issue, the Wild have several smaller forwards and/or guys who aren’t physical (Zuccy, NoJo, Hinne, etc.)

Bottomline, I think the Wild are fun to watch, but it gave up a lot for a dynamic d-man when the most glaring weakness was size and grit in the top two forward lines.  Maybe GMBG can pull off a Tuch rental with the remaining assets, but there isn’t a lot left.  Especially when I think it would be a bad idea to trade the Wall or Yurov.

Could the same trade package have gotten us Thompson and Tuch or even BT?  The d corps was solid before the trade.  Also, consider that Rossi was deemed too small and was thicker than Hughes, with Hughes being on the ice twice as much as Rossi.

If Hughes doesn’t resign, I think the Wild gave up way too much.  Even if he does resign, I think the Wild are 1-2 top 6 forwards away and likely a top 4 d-man with size and nastiness.

I think the Wild are a better regular season team, but not a better playoff team after the trade.  I hope they prove me wrong come playoffs.

 

I agree with every sentence in your post

[Burnt Toast]

He’s played for 5 NHL teams. He has stated that he is not interested in being traded again, that’s understandable. Too bad because he’d be a very nice 2 year fit for this current Wild roster. 

[mnfaninnc]

Quote

However, that may become an issue if a bidding war ensues for O’Reilly and the Wild can’t match other suitors’ offers. 

If the top of the article is correct and Trotz views ROR as having earned some say in a trade, a bidding war doesn't really matter. It's where ROR wants to go. And he very well might see this team and think he'd like to go here.

For some reason, I think he left Colorado under unfriendly circumstances. I can't remember why, I just don't think that he wants to go back there. I also believe that Guerin and Trotz have somewhat of a friendly relationship. This may go better than we think.

[Dango]

Here's another one i thought of but it would  probably have to wait till the deadline or next year  

Ovi retires last year contract,  Washington goes rebuild  ,   Dylan Strome, 60% FA , 5 MILL 2 years remaining   6-3 195ish   28 i believe .  

[Aimlessone]

I don't like the fact that we traded almost all our youth for Hughes. I understand the win now mentality, but if we give up Yurov for ROR or any other center that pretty much gives us this year and next to win the cup or we go into a multi-year rebuild and waste Boldy, Ek, and Kaprisov. 

I feel like that approach rarely works and puts a lot of pressure on the team as they know they NEED to win it. Rather than just gelling and working well together. 

[Burnt Toast]

14 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

For some reason, I think he left Colorado under unfriendly circumstances

They took him to arbitration the year before they traded him. He wanted around $8M AAV and a bigger role but the Aves moved him to Buffalo. Buffalo eventually moved him to St.Louis for Tage T +. Worked out extremely well for St. Louis. 

[Pewterschmidt]

15 minutes ago, Aimlessone said:

I don't like the fact that we traded almost all our youth for Hughes. I understand the win now mentality, but if we give up Yurov for ROR or any other center that pretty much gives us this year and next to win the cup or we go into a multi-year rebuild and waste Boldy, Ek, and Kaprisov. 

I feel like that approach rarely works and puts a lot of pressure on the team as they know they NEED to win it. Rather than just gelling and working well together. 

Cynical take incoming: I think Billy Meatball’s is in do (playoff advance) or die (get fired) mode as he approaches year 8 of his tenure so he’s not to concerned about 5 years from now.  Pay attention to all the ticket promotions to get a sense of Meatball’s win now urgency

[Aimlessone]

4 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Cynical take incoming: I think Billy Meatball’s is in do (playoff advance) or die (get fired) mode as he approaches year 8 of his tenure so he’s not to concerned about 5 years from now.  Pay attention to all the ticket promotions to get a sense of Meatball’s win now urgency

That is not a cynical take, it's just the truth. He's thrown a Hail Mary. Let's hope it connects. 

[Pewterschmidt]

28 minutes ago, Aimlessone said:

That is not a cynical take, it's just the truth. He's thrown a Hail Mary. Let's hope it connects. 

Some are calling it the Hughes Hail-Mary™️

[Will D. Ness]

It's hard to call QH a Hail Mary IMO.  It's also hard to call QH a slam dunk too.  

I think it is going to come down to just how good Zeev is going to become and how quickly that is going to take.  Now I did think that Zeev was on a pretty damned good trajectory but even so still a few years out of being a top line Norris guy.  

Maybe playing more minutes in Van is going to accelerate that but the Wild weren't going to give him that accelerated learning curve as they are trying to compete. 

So I am thinking the move was pretty damned good in terms of trying to solidify this "window of opportunity" and proactively put the Wild's chip stack in the middle at the right time.  It's always a gamble no matter how you analyze it all, but I don't think BG's timing is bad.

Now maybe the counter point is crap like the Laine trade fiasco and this crazy overvaluation of Jiricek.  WTF?

[Pewterschmidt]

9 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

So I am thinking the move was pretty damned good in terms of trying to solidify this "window of opportunity" and proactively put the Wild's chip stack in the middle at the right time.  It's always a gamble no matter how you analyze it all, but I don't think BG's timing is bad.

Agree.  While I think the Hughes Hail-Mary™️is large overpay and not the position this group needs (needs grown ass top 6 fwds), the window is open now.  

[WildNotMild]

GMBG seems to pride himself on his “first, best offer being accepted.”  The BIG problem with that is if there is no negotiation, then there is also the chance you over paid/got fleeced.  The recent trades with Columbus and Boston both point to this.  Could the Wild have gotten Hughes for another draft pick or prospect instead of Rossi or Buium?  I really think they could have and then we would have more depth OR capital to get a top 6 forward.  Again, with four first rounders, I think the Wild could’ve pried loose a top 6 center in the 25-28 age frame.  
 

Again, the Wild are fun to watch with Hughes, but come playoff time, the Wild are going to need hot goal tending and high scoring in my opinion because there is zero size and nastiness in the top 4 d-men.

[B1GKappa97]

Jiricek is a sunk cost at this point. Doesn't matter what they paid to get him anymore. 

If it took a 2027 1st and Jiricek to get ROR, then Billy would be stupid not to take that. Especially if, as rumored, he may be interested in extending Bogosian anyway. 

My guess is, if Nashville is going to treat it like ROR has a NTC, then they probably will have a limited number of trade partners, which means that the Wild shouldn't have to give up a Yurov to get him.

Jiricek and a 1st would be fair for both sides, imo. 

[B1GKappa97]

14 minutes ago, WildNotMild said:

 Could the Wild have gotten Hughes for another draft pick or prospect instead of Rossi or Buium?  I really think they could have and then we would have more depth OR capital to get a top 6 forward.  Again, with four first rounders, I think the Wild could’ve pried loose a top 6 center in the 25-28 age frame.  

No. They couldn't have.

Would you trade Kirill Kaprizov for Liam Ohgren, Jiricek and a 1st in 2026 and 2027? Hell no, right? Well Quinn Hughes is a player in the same tier as Kaprizov. If the goal was to have the best offer, then the GM knew what he was doing to make sure he landed a top-10 NHL player who is one of the best at his position. 

Sure, the Hughes package likely could've landed them a top-6 center in that age range. Would that move the needle as much as the 2nd best offensive blueliner in the league? Probably not. They already had a guy who fit that description in Marco Rossi and while he was good, he's not as good as Quinn Hughes.. 

[B1GKappa97]

2 hours ago, Aimlessone said:

 if we give up Yurov for ROR or any other center that pretty much gives us this year and next to win the cup or we go into a multi-year rebuild and waste Boldy, Ek, and Kaprisov. 

Not necessarily true. If they can re-sign Hughes, that keeps the window open. With or without Yurov. 

I don't think its a question that ROR would help the team more in the next two seasons than Yurov will, despite how impressive he's been. I'd prefer to avoid giving up Yurov for ROR too, but ROR is probably gonna put up twice as many points as Yurov does the next two years while being a capable faceoff guy and great leader in the locker room. 

[WildNotMild]

6 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

No. They couldn't have.

Would you trade Kirill Kaprizov for Liam Ohgren, Jiricek and a 1st in 2026 and 2027? Hell no, right? Well Quinn Hughes is a player in the same tier as Kaprizov. If the goal was to have the best offer, then the GM knew what he was doing to make sure he landed a top-10 NHL player who is one of the best at his position. 

Sure, the Hughes package likely could've landed them a top-6 center in that age range. Would that move the needle as much as the 2nd best offensive blueliner in the league? Probably not. They already had a guy who fit that description in Marco Rossi and while he was good, he's not as good as Quinn Hughes.. 

Hughes wanted out, everyone knew it, which should have decreased the price.  My point is that if your first offer was accepted, there is definitely a chance you overpaid.  There was zero negotiation.  If a car has a sticker price of $30,000, do you offer $29,000 knowing it will be accepted or do you negotiate the best deal for both sides?

I am also confused as to how Rossi was too small for playoff hockey despite being thicker and weighing more than Hughes.  Hughes also will be on the ice twice as much.  If the middle d-pair was the size of Bogo and Midsy, I would like this trade a lot more.  If Faber needs to be the bully in the top 4 d-men come playoff time, then that is a big problem in my opinion.

Outside of Ek, the Wild don’t have a true, experienced top 3 line center.  Hartman is not a true center on most teams and Yurov (who I like) will still be green come playoff time.

Another way to look at it:  what was the generally accepted weakness of the Wild pre-trade?  Most would say scoring, size and depth.  I doubt anyone would’ve said the d-corps.  Hughes can help scoring, but definitely hurt the size and depth.  Like I have previously said, Hughes is a great player.  I just don’t think he was the best fit for this Wild roster based on the size and nastiness of the top 4 d-men and the bigger needs pre-trade of forward size, scoring and depth.

[B1GKappa97]

5 minutes ago, WildNotMild said:

Hughes wanted out, everyone knew it, which should have decreased the price.  My point is that if your first offer was accepted, there is definitely a chance you overpaid.  There was zero negotiation.  If a car has a sticker price of $30,000, do you offer $29,000 knowing it will be accepted or do you negotiate the best deal for both sides?

I am also confused as to how Rossi was too small for playoff hockey despite being thicker and weighing more than Hughes.  Hughes also will be on the ice twice as much.  If the middle d-pair was the size of Bogo and Midsy, I would like this trade a lot more.  If Faber needs to be the bully in the top 4 d-men come playoff time, then that is a big problem in my opinion.

Outside of Ek, the Wild don’t have a true, experienced top 3 line center.  Hartman is not a true center on most teams and Yurov (who I like) will still be green come playoff time.

Another way to look at it:  what was the generally accepted weakness of the Wild pre-trade?  Most would say scoring, size and depth.  I doubt anyone would’ve said the d-corps.  Hughes can help scoring, but definitely hurt the size and depth.  Like I have previously said, Hughes is a great player.  I just don’t think he was the best fit for this Wild roster based on the size and nastiness of the top 4 d-men and the bigger needs pre-trade of forward size, scoring and depth.

How is it 'best deal for both sides' to negotiate down from $30K? Only one side is benefitting there. While everyone may have known Hughes wanted out, there were SIX teams that were trying to land him. That kind of bidding war is going to drive up the price. Especially for a guy who's not even hitting his prime yet and already has a 90-point season, and a Norris Trophy, on his resume. 

I don't think Rossi's issue was size so much as his lack of physicality, which is why he got put with more physical players in Brazeau and Trenin. Quinn won't play the same role that Rossi did, but I think its pretty obvious already that he's a better skater than Rossi is so his lack of size shouldn't matter so much because he'll be able to maintain possession of the puck still.

His playoff production is pretty stellar. 26 points in 30 games, vs 3 over 6 for Rossi.

One of the team's weaknesses WAS the d-corps, specifically getting offense from it. They were among the bottom-5 in points from blueliners and weren't projected to have a single defenseman with an above-average offensive-rating at the time they brought in Quinn. Obviously he changes that. Dramatically. 

Also, Hartman is absolutely a top-9 center. Dude has literally been our 3rd or 4th most productive forward the last handful of playoff series. 

[WildNotMild]

21 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

How is it 'best deal for both sides' to negotiate down from $30K? Only one side is benefitting there. While everyone may have known Hughes wanted out, there were SIX teams that were trying to land him. That kind of bidding war is going to drive up the price. Especially for a guy who's not even hitting his prime yet and already has a 90-point season, and a Norris Trophy, on his resume. 

I don't think Rossi's issue was size so much as his lack of physicality, which is why he got put with more physical players in Brazeau and Trenin. Quinn won't play the same role that Rossi did, but I think its pretty obvious already that he's a better skater than Rossi is so his lack of size shouldn't matter so much because he'll be able to maintain possession of the puck still.

His playoff production is pretty stellar. 26 points in 30 games, vs 3 over 6 for Rossi.

One of the team's weaknesses WAS the d-corps, specifically getting offense from it. They were among the bottom-5 in points from blueliners and weren't projected to have a single defenseman with an above-average offensive-rating at the time they brought in Quinn. Obviously he changes that. Dramatically. 

Also, Hartman is absolutely a top-9 center. Dude has literally been our 3rd or 4th most productive forward the last handful of playoff series. 

Well, in the car analogy, no one should pay sticker price.  Remember, GMBG didn’t even ask for the current asking price.  Again, I think he overpaid especially with Hughes not being signed long term.  To keep the car metaphor going, he might’ve offered $35,000 for a car priced at $30,000 with a $28,000 offer that could have been accepted.

The d-corp wasn’t scoring a lot, BUT neither was the entire team.  It is hard for d-men to get points when there is a lack of scoring by most of the forwards.  Plus, it should be noted that Rossi, Zuccy, etc. were injured.

I think Hartman should be a winger, secondary center on his line.  Do you really think he should be a top 3 center on Dallas or Colorado.  I would strongly say no.  He is only a center for the Wild due to lack of center depth.  The Wild have gotten worn down in the playoffs the last couple of years largely due to a lack of center depth, size and scoring by the forwards.

The Wild had Rossi, but many said he wasn’t a top 6 center.  I thought he was, but the point is that the Wild could have used its trade powder on 1-2 top 6 forwards with size, grit and skill instead of an undersized top offensive d-man who isn’t signed long term.

Hughes put up a lot of playoff points on a high scoring, not defensively sound team.  It will be interesting to see if the Wild become a run and gun team in the playoffs.  I still think that Hughes is a defensive liability come playoff time.  As long as he has the puck in the offensive zone, great.  He doesn’t play PK and in my opinion doesn’t have the size and strength to move power forwards away from the net in the playoffs.

I hope I am wrong and the Wild have a deep playoff run and/or win the cup.  Based on the center matchups and depth and lack of size and grit in the top 9 forwards, it could be interesting come postseason.  Time will tell, as usual.

[B1GKappa97]

4 minutes ago, WildNotMild said:

The d-corp wasn’t scoring a lot, BUT neither was the entire team.  It is hard for d-men to get points when there is a lack of scoring by most of the forwards.  Plus, it should be noted that Rossi, Zuccy, etc. were injured.

I think Hartman should be a winger, secondary center on his line.  Do you really think he should be a top 3 center on Dallas or Colorado.  I would strongly say no.  He is only a center for the Wild due to lack of center depth.  The Wild have gotten worn down in the playoffs the last couple of years largely due to a lack of center depth, size and scoring by the forwards.

Quinn Hughes had 76 points for the Canucks last year (which would've led the Wild..) while they were a bottom-10 scoring team.. He doesn't seem to have any issues producing points whether or not the forwards are scoring. 

And yes, Hartman would absolutely be the Avs' or Stars' 3C right now. He has better production than either Jack Drury or Matt Duchene and gives them great depth for their middle-6. 

[WildNotMild]

18 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Quinn Hughes had 76 points for the Canucks last year (which would've led the Wild..) while they were a bottom-10 scoring team.. He doesn't seem to have any issues producing points whether or not the forwards are scoring. 

And yes, Hartman would absolutely be the Avs' or Stars' 3C right now. He has better production than either Jack Drury or Matt Duchene and gives them great depth for their middle-6. 

Hartman has been on a heater, but has less points than Drury, despite several games playing 1C.  Do you really think Drury plays any 1C minutes.  Duchene has been injured most the season and again doesn’t get 1C minutes.  His prorated production isn’t that far off from Hartman.  Again, Hartman is a natural winger playing center.

Yes, Hughes scored 78 points for a +2 for the last season.  I would argue that isn’t a great plus minus, especially for a guy who doesn’t play a lot of PK minutes which really affects the plus minus metric.  Again, the 78/76 really points to a run and gun game when Hughes is in the ice. 

We are obviously on different sides of whether this was the best trade for the Wild.  I think it is an okay trade if Hughes resigns and a bad trade if he doesn’t.  He does make the games more interesting to watch.  Time will tell come playoffs.