By Kalisha Turnipseed -
The Minnesota Wild will likely move on from Marco Rossi if they get the right deal. David Reinbacher is one option, but he’s a worst-case-scenario trade, just in case the Wild move on from captain Jared Spurgeon.
However, general manager Bill Guerin is set with his defense and will worry about getting a backup goaltender later, who you can sign for as little as $950,000. Jesper Wallstedt will likely be that player. I don't want you to think that I hate Jared Spurgeon. He's been Minnesota’s best defenseman for many years, even at 35 (he will be 36 in November).
Spurgeon may not be the vocal captain like many fans want, including me. Still, he'll always lead by example and energize his team when he single-handedly breaks up scoring opportunities. He’s a great presence and an easy player to support! However, if reporters indicate the team is willing to move on from him, I will consider it in trades.
The Wild should target Dylan Guenther, who our friend Tony Abbott wrote about last April, in a Rossi trade.
The Utah Mammoth need centers to fulfill their depth. Rossi fits what Utah's looking for in a top-six center. He would be reunited with his Ottawa 67s (OHL) coach Andre Tourigny, who’s in his first NHL head-coaching role. That could jumpstart Rossi’s career. Meanwhile, the Wild gained a right-shot goal-scoring winger in Guenther, who's already signed on a bargain deal ($7.14 million per year) for the next 8 years.
Do you know who can make Guenther into a 40-goal scorer? Even a 50-goal scorer? Kirill Kaprizov, who's going to cash in his new contract, and Guerin's planning to sign him as soon as this summer. It's refreshing that Kaprizov is willing to stay with the organization to help pursue a Stanley Cup. Now it's time to expand on talent, and Guerin owes it to him!
Danila Yurov is going to be Rossi’s replacement center. He will finally join forces with Kaprizov because the wait will be over! These linemates can help propel Guenther into an elite goal scorer and give Yurov a supporting cast. The Wild won’t use Yurov’s as a top center. That will be Joel Eriksson Ek's job.
Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy are a formidable duo. Mats Zuccarello and Boldy showed good chemistry during Kaprizov’s injury-related absence. A strong two-way center play with these two will make them a more than capable scoring threat. Zuccarello has shown that he can produce without Kaprizov.
If the Wild signs Sam Bennett, they can put him with Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno as their shutdown line against top competition. That line would complete the Wild’s top-nine, allowing Kaprizov to dominate. Bennett will be Eriksson Ek's contingency plan and will make a power play impact by scoring on rebounds.
Guenther can take advantage of playing alongside Kaprizov on the top power play unit, where he will be waiting in Alex Ovechkin's office to score on one-timers due to his deadly release. Guenther scored 12 power-play goals, which was tied for 6th in the NHL, during the 2024-25 regular season, tying him with:
He finished ahead of notable star players Mikko Rantanen (11), Connor Bedard (11), Matthew Tkachuk (11), Auston Matthews (10), Nathan MacKinnon (9), David Pastrnak (9), Connor McDavid (9), Kyle Connor (9), Jason Robertson (9), Aleksander Barkov (9), and Nikita Kucherov (8).
Imagine if Guenther were playing with an elite playmaker in Kaprizov. He'd likely pass Tampa Bay Lightning's Jake Guentzel, who scored 17 power-play goals, which led the NHL. Guenther's playmakers will primarily be Kaprizov, Zuccarello, and Buium. He can undoubtedly produce more power-play goals.
Guenther played 70 games this season. He missed 12 games due to a lower-body injury and still scored 27 goals. Let's imagine if Guenther had played a full season. He would've finished with 32 goals, his first 30-goal season. While Rossi has been durable throughout the season, scoring 24 goals in 82 games, Guenther still outscored him. Guenther would've accomplished his first 70-point season (32 goals and 39 assists), which would've been 10 points ahead of Rossi.
Guenther has shown early signs of NHL stardom. Now, Kaprizov can help him get to that next level. Guerin addressed his needs over the offseason with a goal-scoring winger and a center who can help take the burden off of Eriksson Ek in Bennett. The Wild have positioned themselves better to compete in the league, and fans can look forward to something special.
2025-26 Opening Night Lineup
Forwards
Dylan Guenther - Danila Yurov - Kirill Kaprizov
Mats Zuccarello - Joel Eriksson Ek - Matt Boldy
Marcus Foligno - Sam Bennett - Ryan Hartman
Vinnie Hinostroza - Freddy Gaudreau - Yakov Trenin
Defense
Jake Middleton - Jared Spurgeon
Zeev Buium - David Jiricek
Goalies
Jesper Wallstedt
Power play
Unit 1:
Guenther - Eriksson Ek - Kaprizov
Boldy - Buium
Unit 2:
Zuccarello - Bennett - Hartman
Jiricek - Yurov
Penalty kill
Unit 1:
Bennett - Hartman
Brodin - Faber
Unit 2:
Trenin - Foligno
Middleton - Spurgeon
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