By Tony Abbott -
On Sunday, we posed a simple question with a complicated answer: After the Dallas Stars got Mikko Rantanen, how could the Wild poach a similar superstar to keep up? We left the question open at the time, but honestly? There's a pretty obvious answer. And it stared Minnesota right in the face hours after the trade deadline.
Elias Pettersson broke open the scoring on Friday night's 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. But it was a real possibility that Pettersson may not have played in that game at all. The Vancouver Canucks were reportedly entertaining offers on their star center leading up to the trade deadline. No one offered enough to land him. Still, it's interesting that Pettersson was still on the table, even after the team tried to solve a rift between him and J.T. Miller by trading the latter.
On the other hand, Vancouver has been the definition of "embattled" this year, and Pettersson hasn't been exempt from the team's struggles. Pettersson's goal on Friday was just his 12th of the season, and he only has 36 points in 56 games. That's not just a drop from his 103-point pinnacle in 2022-23; he has fewer points in more games than Mats Zuccarello. If Pettersson talks persisted into yesterday, it's not hard to imagine both sides wanting to turn the page this summer.
While the Wild couldn't sniff Pettersson talks at the trade deadline, they should be ready to strike this summer. Among anyone Minnesota could theoretically get for their "Christmas Morning," Pettersson checks the most boxes.
For one, he's got the star power to match Dallas landing Rantanen. Per Evolving-Hockey, Rantanen has been worth 25.0 Standings Points Above Replacement since the 2020-21 season. If you read our Sunday piece, you'll know that's tied with Kirill Kaprizov for 13th among NHL skaters. Pettersson is slightly ahead of both, with 26.1 SPAR since 2020-21. That's 10th in the NHL over that time.
Imagine a world where Kaprizov isn't the best player on the Wild. Adding Pettersson is one of the few ways that could become a reality.
That's the most important benefit, but Pettersson offers the Wild more than his talent. Their search for a No. 1 Center would end the second they made such a deal. The days of debating whether Joel Eriksson Ek or Marco Rossi are actually a No. 1 Center would be in the past. NHL.com ranked Pettersson as the 10th-best center in the league in August. Elite Prospects had him ninth. ESPN's survey of NHL players and executives had him 10th going into last season. Even if he's hurt his stock since, Pettersson is still a slam-dunk No. 1 pivot.
That doesn't just help the top of the lineup. Still, imagining Pettersson building Zuccarello-like magic with Kaprizov is enough to make anyone drool. However, having a top center is a force multiplier for a team like the Wild. Sliding Eriksson Ek and/or Rossi down the lineup also gives significant bumps to the second and third lines.
Then there's Pettersson's contract, which carries some sticker shock at six remaining years at a $11.6 million AAV. Still, with the cap rising, that's a feature, not a bug. It does two things for the Wild. For one, it gives Kaprizov a helluva carrot to stay. Stick around, and you've got a 26-year-old star center setting you up for one-timers for the next six years.
Just as importantly, Pettersson would give Minnesota Kaprizov insurance. Suppose the Wild can't agree on a long-term contract with Kaprizov. Then, their long-term plan becomes reliant on maxing out Rossi, Matt Boldy, Danila Yurov, Jesper Wallstedt, David Jiricek, and Zeev Buium's talents. Still possible, sure, but it's a much tougher path to a Stanley Cup. While it certainly wouldn't be good for Kaprizov to leave, even with Pettersson in the fold, at least the latter ensures they'd stay a net-neutral in superstars, compared to where they are right now.
The problem is, if the Wild want to make a superstar trade like Dallas did, they'll probably have to pay a Texas-sized price for Pettersson.
Still, it's so hard to overpay for a true top-15 player in the NHL. The Florida Panthers got Matthew Tkachuk, and it cost them a top-line forward coming off a 115-point season in Jonathan Huberdeau and a top-pairing defenseman in MacKenzie Weegar. Worth it, no question. Florida has a Cup ring to show for it.
Dallas gave up a top young player in Logan Stankoven and two first-round picks to execute a trade-and-extend for Rantanen. A high price? Sure, but the Stars could easily win a Cup this year and have a superstar player locked up at a below-market price. Any team looking to compete should be willing to make that move.
It will be difficult for Minnesota to overpay for Pettersson, especially with a down season and Vancouver's turmoil. What would that cost? The Wild have options.
If Vancouver is willing to go with a prospect-focused package like the Carolina Hurricanes did in trading Rantanen, Minnesota is more than equipped to go that route. Danila Yurov is a top center prospect, and at 21 and with three seasons in the KHL, he's close to NHL-ready. Minnesota doesn't own their 2025 first-rounder, but they have their 2026 first and second-tier prospects like Liam Öhgren and Riley Heidt to offer.
If the Canucks seek a more immediate return, the Wild can offer that, too. In most circumstances, trading a cost-controlled young goal-scorer like Boldy or a 23-year-old center on the rise in Rossi would be insane. But for Pettersson? If trading one of those players is the cost of doing business, you have to pull the trigger.
Now, maybe you think his down season makes Pettersson a risk. Perhaps, but not as big of a risk as the Vegas Golden Knights took in trading for Jack Eichel while he needed unprecedented back surgery. But we know how that one ended for the Cup-winning Knights.
Pettersson-caliber players simply don't come on the market often, and teams get rewarded for taking advantage when they do. It's hard to see the Wild having a bigger opportunity to set their team up for success on "Christmas Morning" than with a trade for Vancouver's top young center. Minnesota must move heaven and earth to get it done if that is on the table.
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