By Adam Overby -
The "State of Hockey" is a prideful slogan coveted by a passionate Minnesota Wild fanbase that’s beginning to simmer with frustration because the dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup has been a shimmering mirage on the hockey horizon since the franchise entered the league.
The Wild faithful have roared with a passion rivaling the state's frigid winters for over two decades. However, since that first puck drop in 2000, they haven't quite been able to get out of their own way with bad signings and/or secure… That elusive No. 1 center. The cornerstone for every championship team.
Secondary scoring has been so inconsistent lately that the front office has been handing out NTC to anyone willing to shoot a puck. The prospect pool has consistently churned out players who are not ready to make an immediate impact, and let's not forget about the anchor every championship team desperately needs: that No. 1 goaltender.
However, for the first time in the Wild’s “mushy middle mediocre” history, a true franchise superstar talent has emerged, capable of single-handedly stealing games. Plus, they have a GM with the creativity to incorporate boldness into every trade decision and a core talent that has the potential to produce two, if not three, bonafide superstars in this league over the next few years.
The Wild's future is bright, and the fans can't help but feel the excitement building. This is especially true because Minnesota will get options of coveted prospects at this year's draft instead of settling for the picked-over late-first-round region they occupy.
For the first time, the optimists are fanning the flames of the pessimists to create a sense of urgency for Guerin to secure their superstar’s future this off-season. But with a limited toolbox, restricted menu, and barren landscape of viable moves for the upcoming off-season, it's triggering anxious anticipation among the fanbase.
What can the Minnesota Wild and Bill Guerin realistically do to satisfy the franchise's only true superstar, not decimate the locker room, and instill confidence back into the fanbase under these circumstances?
For starters, Guerin should make sure the mistakes of last year's early-season contracts that limited the Wild’s trade deadline flexibility never happen again. Every one of those contracts should be framed and mounted in his office as a daily reminder of the power of roster flexibility when the unforeseen happens.
Secondly, last week, the New York Rangers’ treatment of Barclay Goodrow established a cold-blooded precedent roadmap for NHL general managers to explore who are stuck with cap hits for guys who aren’t producing on their current roster with “No Trade Clause” contracts. Hand out those NTC clauses all you want, Mr. Guerin. You no longer have to go down with the ship if its engines cease functioning in turbulent waters.
The Rangers prioritized cap space over player sentiment by waiving a well-respected champion with a hefty contract. By doing so, they sent a message that championship contenders can shed expensive, even valuable, pieces to create space for upgrades.
In the cutthroat world of professional hockey, winning isn't everything. It's the only thing. Championship aspirations demand ruthless decisions, and no general manager understands that better than those who have seen the mountaintop from the ice, the bench, or the war room to hoist that coveted Stanley Cup trophy.
Can Guerin make the challenging calls necessary to reshape the Wild into a contender by weaponizing the process of waivers to free himself from the dead weight on Minnesota’s current roster?
Absolutely! Will he? Meh….. But should he? Probably.
The road to glory is paved with tough choices. However, now that we know waiving veterans with no-trade clauses is a viable option to clear cap space and roster spots, let's look at the Wild's options this offseason and next season when we are completely free from “Buyout Purgatory.”
According to capfriendly.com/freddy, Minnesota will pay Freddy Gaudreau $2.24 million next year whether he plays in the AHL or the NHL. If the Wild bought out his remaining 4-year contract, it would cost them $5,033,033 to buy out the remaining $7.55 million, saving them $2,516,667.
According to capfriendly.com/Mojo, the Wild will pay Marcus Johansson $2 million next year whether he plays in the AHL or the NHL. As I wrote last week, buying out Mojo only saves the wild $666,666. They can only buy out one player because there are already two bought-out players on the books, so they are probably better off choosing the waiver route.
If Guerin puts them on waivers and they both get picked up, that's an additional $9.5 million back on the books over the course of several years. However, the Wild can only use $4.1 million ($2 million for Mojo + $2.1 million for Freddy) next year, giving Minnesota more to work with this off-season.
With that kind of money and two open roster spots, Guerin can talk to Sam Reinhart, Jake Guenztel, and Sean Monahan’s agents once they hit free agency this year. Will those players be wearing Wild jerseys next year? Almost definitely not. But Guerin could make a strong case for them to consider Minnesota if he was able to free up the space he clogged up in the first place.
Before you start popping champagne corks, Guerin is a “players GM,” and the likelihood of him weaponizing this loophole to send out the contracts he signed is about as likely as Ivan Demidov dressing for the Wild next season.
But hear me out. Although Mojo is this year's Alex Goligoski, he is gone next year, no matter what. Freddy Gaudreau could either play his way onto another roster by the trade deadline or find his way to another locker room involuntarily.
Next year, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman will become the following year’s dartboard scapegoats if they don’t turn things around. Who can see their NTCs counterfeited by exploiting the AHL waiver process?
That same year, Guerin and the Minnesota Wild will get over $14.75 million back onto the books after the worst of Buyout Purgatory finally expires. Add another $8 million if Foligno and Hartman get picked up off waivers, and another $2.5 million by letting Marc-Andre Fleury retire without an extension.
If Guerin can offload that money, he'd have $24.5 million to build a championship team around a core that includes a superstar, a sniper, a Selke-caliber center, a shutdown blueliner, and a prospect pool that should be in full bloom.
By the 2026-27 season, if Guerin learns from his mistakes, maximizes roster flexibility, and weaponizes the loopholes available to him, the Minnesota Wild will have the opportunity to use tens of millions to re-sign Kaprizov and fill roster spots previously held by a carousel of “mushy middle mediocre” players who held on long enough to pass the baton to the next regime. That roster would have the potential to be an NHL dynasty.
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