The Wild Should Target Troy Terry In A Marco Rossi Trade

The NHL draft is on Friday, and the Minnesota Wild still haven't extended Marco Rossi. The Wild could lose Rossi to an offer sheet, but it's better for the team to still get assets instead of compensation picks.

Signing Nikolaj Ehlers to a five-year contract worth around $7.5 million to $8.5 million (maybe $9 million) per season would give the Wild a breakaway threat. The Wild should also go after Troy Terry. Terry carries the same cap hit as Matt Boldy ($7 million AAV) for the next 5 years. Terry can break out in Minnesota because the Wild have a better supporting cast than the Anaheim Ducks. 

The Wild likely know they won't get the return they want for Rossi. So, the Wild must target Terry, who fits the description of a prolific skill player. 

Terry may not have elite production (0.67 points), but his playmaking can improve Minnesota’s power play and help Boldy become a 100-point player, which Guerin boldly predicted before last season. 

The Wild aren't getting Mitch Marner this summer, but they can land Terry. However, Terry plays right wing more than center. Don't count on him being a center unless injuries cut into Minnesota’s depth. Can he be Ryan Hartman 2.0 if he moves to center? It's possible. 

Terry can quarterback a power play thanks to his puck-carrying skills and vision for difficult cross-ice passes. Terry is a right-shot forward who can assist Zeev Buium with his playmaking. Putting Terry on the power play will help Kaprizov unleash his shot. Kaprizov has the best shot on the team and needs to play bumper. Boldy and Terry can manage the half wall. With Joel Eriksson Ek being the net-front presence, there's no reason why Kaprizov can't score many more goals. 

People are excited for Danila Yurov to join the Wild, but there is genuine uncertainty about whether he can be a second-line center and replace Rossi’s 60 points from last year. Yurov should play between Boldy and Terry, who would bring out the best in him. Yurov won't have to carry the puck. Instead, the Wild would ask him to score from the high slot with his lethal shot. Boldy and Terry are high-end playmakers giving the Wild a true top-six.

Terry had a career-high 38 assists in 2022-23 and 34 in the past two seasons. With helping Boldy and Kaprizov score more goals, there's good reason to believe he can record 50 to 60 assists. Terry has shown he can score 20 goals in a season, and the Wild can help unleash his shot more.

The Ducks have twice the cap space (~$32 million) as the Wild (~ $15 million). They can sign Rossi. The Wild can live with moving Freddy Gaudreau and David Spacek, who looks like he wants to play elsewhere after his father spoke out about the organization. 

That moves Marcus Johansson to the third line to play with Mats Zuccarello and Hartman, like he's done in the past. It showed to be a reliable depth line, and Johansson will be more effective than being in the top-six. 

The Wild can help Anaheim’s blueline by giving them captain Jared Spurgeon. The Wild need to target Florida Panthers’ top defenseman Aaron Ekblad to take his place. The Ducks getting Spurgeon will move Jacob Trouba and Radko Gudas to the bottom-four, making them tough to deal with physically. Spurgeon gets to team up with Minnesota’s own Jackson LaCombe, a rising star for the Ducks. The Ducks can get behind this. 

Spurgeon's cap hit ($7.575 million) is slightly more than Terry's cap hit of $7 million, where the Wild can get the Ducks to take the whole contract. The Wild can also move Declan Chisholm, who needs a new roster to play on since Zach Bogosian is the 7th defenseman. The Wild can target the Farmington, Minnesota native Drew Helleson, who they can play with the Iowa Wild as a first call-up. 

Helleson plays a physical brand of hockey with imposing size (6-foot-3, 214 lbs.), who can be relied on to shut down opponents and provide physicality. Helleson won't be relied on much for offense, but will get the job done defensively. The Wild's blueline has started looking bigger since the team signed prospect Stevie Leskovar to an entry-level contract (ELC). 

The Wild can also target Sasha Pastujov, who can be a call-up option as he continues gaining professional experience. He can play either wing position. He split time between the AHL and the ECHL this year but scored at a point-per-game pace. He can fit in with Iowa's youth of Liam Ohgren, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, and eventually Ryder Ritchie. He's only 21 years old.

Minnesota can target Anaheim’s second-round pick in the 2026 draft since the Ducks have two picks. The Ducks have lots of young talent in their organization, so they can live with giving up an extra second-round pick. 

The Wild now have Ehlers and Terry in their top-six, allowing them to upgrade their skill and speed.