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Daemon Hunt has earned the right to start over David Jiricek for the Minnesota Wild because his current form, underlying profile, and fit with the team’s needs all point in the same direction. He helps them win right now in ways Jiricek has not yet consistently shown at the NHL level. Recent usage and transactions already hint at how the organization views both defensemen. Hunt has stepped into the Wild lineup this season, contributing two assists, 11 hits, 19 blocked shots, and a plus -3 rating in 13 games, while handling a depth role without the chaos that usually comes with a young defender learning on the job. Jiricek, meanwhile, has been sent down after a stint that featured decent minutes but little impact on the scoresheet and no offensive production in his first 10 to 12 games with Minnesota. Hunt’s offensive upside showed up last night against the Islanders in a tied 2-2 game. Quinn Hughes slid a pass down the left side to Hunt, who went cross-ice through the crease to Kaprizov, who slid the puck past Sorokin to take a 3-2 lead in the game. It was a beautiful tape-to-tape pass. If he can consistently make plays like this, he’s going to continue to earn himself more ice time with the Wild. That contrast matters for a team that cannot afford extended on-the-job training in the middle of a playoff race. Hunt's ability to come in cold and still tilt the basic results in the right direction gives the coaching staff a baseline of trust that Jiricek has not yet matched in a Wild sweater. Going back to his WHL and early pro days, Hunt's strength has been his smooth, powerful skating, paired with calm puck movement and solid defensive reads. Scouting reports consistently highlight his mobility, vision, and poise under pressure, describing him as an all-around blueliner who can move the puck efficiently and close plays with his stick and body positioning rather than desperation. For a Wild team that already leans heavily on high-end puck movers like Quinn Hughes and Jonas Brodin, a low-maintenance depth defender who can keep plays on schedule and avoid self-inflicted damage is hugely valuable. Hunt’s profile fits that template. He can advance the puck, survive forechecks, and eat defensive-zone shifts without the wild swings in decision-making that often show up in young high-ceiling defenders. None of this should take away from Jiricek’s potential. At 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds, he has the size, reach, and a heavy shot that made him a top prospect, and the tools still project as a potential top-four, all-situations defender if the development curve hits. However, during his brief run in Minnesota, he has looked more like a player trying to survive than one dictating play. He has no goals, no assists, and limited shot volume across his early games. Minnesota’s coaches are sheltering him at five-on-five and keeping him away from special teams. The gap between tools and impact is exactly where the argument tilts toward Hunt. The Wild need reliability and mistake-free hockey from the bottom of their defense group, not a long runway for a high-variance player still figuring out reads against NHL pace. Jiricek’s ceiling is higher, but his game brings more risk than reward, and that is the opposite of what a contending lineup wants from its third pair. Look at how the depth chart stacks up. Minnesota already has premium puck-driving on the left side with Hughes and Brodin, plus size and snarl with Jacob Middleton further down. On the right, they need cost-controlled defenders who can hold the rope behind their stars, kill plays in the neutral zone, and handle second-wave matchups without demanding heavy puck-touches or power-play time. Hunt checks those boxes because his game scales to whatever minutes the staff gives him. He can slide next to a more offensive partner and play safety net, or pair with a stay-at-home veteran and be the one to transport the puck. Hunt’s recent usage and position-on-ice results show that he already fits within Minnesota’s current structure, which is not yet the case for Jiricek. There is also a development argument that actually favors both players but still supports starting Hunt over Jiricek. For Hunt, consistent NHL reps on a third pair and on the penalty kill accelerate the refinement of a game that already looks close to plug-and-play, especially after bouncing between organizations and being reclaimed on waivers. For Jiricek, big minutes and every-situation usage in the AHL (or a lower-leverage role elsewhere) are more valuable than sheltered, low-impact NHL shifts that neither build confidence nor showcase his strengths. In other words, starting Hunt helps the Wild win now, giving Jiricek the runway he needs to become the impact defender his pedigree suggests he can be. The franchise doesn’t have to choose between upside and long-term stability. However, in the short term, the lineup card should reflect who is ready to help most on a nightly basis. Right now, that is Daemon Hunt, and the Wild’s recent roster decisions are already starting to say the quiet part out loud.

There's no more ambiguity with the direction of the Minnesota Wild. They are buyers at the trade deadline because they should be buyers. Sure, the Colorado Avalanche are the superteam of the West, but the Wild entered Sunday tied for the second-most points in the NHL. They have Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and now Quinn Hughes, all in their primes. And for some bonus urgency: They're making a combined $24 million for the last season before Kaprizov's contract goes up to $17 million next year. A team like that buys. There will be no prospect hugging. There won't be patience. Bill Guerin is going to do his damndest to swing another trade to load up his team, and he should. But what does he have left to make a trade with? Over the past 14 months, Guerin has already surrendered... A consensus top-10 prospect in Zeev Buium (Hughes trade) Their best, young, movable NHL piece in Marco Rossi (Hughes) A first-round, NHL-ready player in Liam Öhgren (Hughes) 2026's first-round pick (Hughes) 2026's second-round pick (Gustav Nyquist trade) 2027's second-round pick (David Jiříček trade) That's what they call a war chest. So, what remains, and what can we expect to see Guerin put on the table for a splashy move? Here's our breakdown of what Minnesota can use to boost its team for the playoffs (and beyond?): S-Tier: Untouchable... Unless... Jesper Wallstedt, NHL The sound you're hearing is the Team of 18,001 suppressing their sudden urge to get sick, and it's understandable to be revolted by the idea of trading Wallstedt. He's a 23-year-old goalie whose .926 save percentage leads the NHL. It's arguable that without his emergence this year, the Wild would never have been in a position to land Hughes in the first place. At the same time, one can argue that Wallstedt is a luxury item. The Wild have a workhorse goalie in Filip Gustavsson, under contract for five more seasons. Gustavsson doesn't have Wallstedt's numbers, but his .910 save percentage is well above the league average, and his track record since arriving in Minnesota is strong. He's also shown up in the playoffs, with a .917 save percentage in 11 games. Luxury or not, though, Wallstedt has a great thing going, and the Wild are going to want to hold onto him as long as they can. He's under contract for $2.2 million next year, meaning there's no rush to move him, even if they're worried about paying two No. 1 goalies down the road. He's truly an "In Case of No. 1 Center, Break Glass" kind of asset. Unless the Wild are replacing Rossi's hole for the long haul, he's still in Minnesota. A-Tier: Splash Trade Centerpiece Danila Yurov, NHL Prying away Wallstedt feels like a pipe dream for other teams; Yurov feels like a more realistic trade target. Yurov's counting numbers as a rookie (six goals, 16 points in 39 games) rate more as "solid" than "Calder-worthy," but he's been solid on both sides of the puck. More offense is on the way. Still, the question for Minnesota is, will that offense come soon enough? Charlie Stramel, NCAA The Wild drafted Stramel after a disappointing freshman season in Wisconsin, and it got worse for him as a sophomore. But since moving to Michigan State, Stramel is back to "bona fide first-rounder" status. Stramel has 21 goals and 53 points in 57 games as a Spartan, and has found success centering top wingers Isaac Howard (in 2024-25) and Porter Malone (presently). In the meantime, Stramel's size (6-foot-3, 216 pounds) never went out of style, and a big, right-shot center who should be ready to sign as a pro this summer should be attractive to teams. While being in the same tier as Yurov sorta feels wrong, it's also not difficult to see Stramel be the primary piece that lands, say, a Ryan O'Reilly-type, so he's here. Minnesota's 2028 first-rounder (Unprotected) Normally, teams value a pick that comes sooner rather than later. After all, a GM who's selling might not be around to make a pick in two years, let alone three! But for a GM with job security, this should be the crown jewel of the Wild's pick stash. The Wild are gonna have Kaprizov, Hughes, and Boldy next year, at least to start the season. If a team picks up Minnesota's 2027 pick, that's going to be in the 20's. A 2028 pick is making a bet against the Wild having Hughes during the 2027-28 season. It's hard to imagine the Wild bottoming out next year, but if they lose Hughes and can't build a team around Kaprizov's contract? That 2028 first suddenly becomes a great asset. B-Tier: Prime Rental Fodder Minnesota's 2027 first-rounder The standard price of a good rental will include a pick like this. A lottery ticket in the 20s, maybe the high-teens if a team is lucky. David Jiříček, AHL It's hard to get a true gauge on Jiříček's trade value. In a vacuum, it probably should be here. Is it that way in reality? It's hard to be sure. The Wild went all-in on his potential, and cutting bait after a little more than a year would surely spark the question of why two teams would want to move him before turning 23. Regardless, the bloom is off the prospect rose, and his days as a prime asset are done until he establishes himself in the NHL. C-Tier: Decent Rental Fodder Adam Benák, OHL Benák is showing out as an 18-year-old rookie in the OHL, with the third-most points per game in the league. Having a strong World Junior tournament should have helped his stock, too. Still, he's seven months removed from 31 NHL teams (the Florida Panthers being the exception) passing on him at least once in the 2025 Draft. Benák is probably more valuable to the Wild than as a trade chip, at least now. David Spacek, AHL Spacek has been a lone bright spot on a bad AHL squad for the past two years. With some power play duty helping the cause, Spacek has 50 points in 107 games during that time. Despite his play, the 22-year-old, right-shot defenseman is buried on the depth chart behind Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, Zach Bogosian, and Jiříček. A strong Olympic stretch could get teams interested. Ryder Ritchie, NCAA Ritchie has skill, but his stint as an older freshman at Boston University is reading more as decent than a top prospect. A second-half surge could change that quickly, but for now, he's dwelling in this tier. Hunter Haight, AHL Haight looked NHL-ready in training camp, but a weak Iowa Wild squad probably holds him back. He's tied for fifth in scoring on the Baby Wild, but 12 points in 26 games isn't going to turn a ton of heads. D-Tier: Throw-Ins Apologies to, in alphabetical order, Riley Heidt, Aron Kiviharju, and Carson Lambos, who each merited a bit of consideration for the C-Tier. Any unnamed prospect is here. As for the remainder of the team's draft capital in 2026 and 2027, this tier includes: 2026: Their third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-rounders San Jose's fifth-rounder (Calen Addison trade) 2027: Their third-, fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-rounders The Wild took two big bites out of their prospect capital with the Hughes and Jiříček trades, for sure. But there's a decent amount left over for another big swing. The assets are there, and the motivation is, too. The only question left is: Who's it gonna be?