How Does the Wild Lineup Shake-Out Post Trade Deadline?

The trade deadline has officially passed, and the Minnesota Wild made three moves that will affect the NHL roster until the end of this season. 

The Wild shipped off bottom-six forwards Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, and Pat Maroon for a combination of draft picks and prospects. Minnesota received a third-rounder in 2026 for Duhaime from the Colorado Avalanche, a fourth-rounder in 2026 for Dewar from the Toronto Maple Leafs, and a conditional sixth for Maroon from the Boston Bruins.

Both of the prospects the Wild received will play in Iowa but will not affect the NHL team. Toronto sent Dmitry Ovchinnikov to Minnesota. The Russian has scored 10 points in 20 games for the AHL’s Marlies. The Wild got Luke Toporowski from Boston, and he will be the first Iowa native (Bettendorf) to suit up for the Iowa Wild. Toporowski has accumulated 46 points in 96 AHL games over the past two seasons. 

While those prospects will help Iowa, the NHL club is left with some holes in the bottom six. The Wild almost always paired Duhaime and Dewar on the fourth line. But now they’ll be on teams that should be playing postseason hockey. Maroon was injured but served as a useful third- or fourth-line player. 

Injuries have hampered the Wild all season long, and Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini were already filling Maroon’s spot. The Wild recently re-assigned Letteri and Lucchini to Iowa so they could be eligible for the AHL playoffs. The pair is back up with the NHL club as the team settles in after trade deadline losses. 

The Wild also got additional reinforcements from Iowa, calling up Adam Beckman to play for the big club. Beckham has had a few call-ups this season but no game action until Thursday night against the Arizona Coyotes, where he recorded an assist in his season debut. 

Minnesota also has reinforcements coming from overseas. Russian prospect Marat Khusnutdinov will soon practice for the first time with the Wild. With 162 games of professional experience in the KHL, Khusnutdinov could immediately fill a middle-six role. 

Considering all the changes the Wild have undergone, what does a post-deadline lineup look like with the addition of Khusnutdinov and the losses of Duhaime, Dewar, and Maroon? 

Marcus Johansson is still on injured reserve, but Mason Shaw is back in action after recovering from his fourth ACL tear. Marcus Foligno is nearly done recovering and will be active soon. 

John Hynes has some interesting decisions to make with his lineup. But if I put on my head coaching hat, here’s what I would do with the Wild’s lines: 

Kirill Kaprizov - Joel Erkisson Ek - Matt Boldy 

Adam Beckman - Marco Rossi - Mats Zuccarello 

Marcus Folgino - Marat Khusnutdinov - Ryan Hartman 

Mason Shaw - Fred Gaudreau - Lettieri/Lucchini 

That top line has been carrying Minnesota’s offense lately, so it makes sense to leave that line intact as long as they are still productive. 

On the second line, Beckman is a goal scorer or at least a guy who will shoot the puck. Pair him with Rossi and Zuccarello, two guys who excel as playmakers, and this line has a chance to complement the first line’s scorer. Playing Beckman in a fourth-line checking role does not make sense for his skill set. The Wild called him up for a reason, and they should see what he can do. 

The third line is a perfect combination of skill and size. Foligno, Khusnutdinov, and Hartman are gritty guys who play a 200-foot game. Foligno and Hartman will be great role models for Khusnutdinov, helping to ease him into his first NHL minutes. I would love to see Khusnutdinov on the powerplay with Kaprizov. But it’s unlikely that Hynes pairs the Russians together immediately. 

The fourth line is a nice blend of defense and skill. Shaw is one of the league’s hardest workers, and Lettieri and Lucchini are also industrious players. That can be an effective defensive line if Gaudreau puts in the effort. 

The Wild didn’t change their defensive core at the trade deadline beyond extending Zach Bogosian. It is the same cast of characters, and I don’t expect the defensive pairings to change. 

Minnesota changed its lineup and had to part with some fan favorites. But this version of the Wild lineup provides some newfound excitement, with highly touted prospects getting opportunities to show what they can offer the team in the future. 

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and data via Evolving Hockey, HockeyDB, and Capfriendly.