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  • What Should We Expect From the Wild This Week?

    Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
    Thomas Williams

    By Thomas Williams -

    This week is typically the most exciting and interesting week on the hockey calendar. The 2024 NHL Draft is quickly approaching this weekend and then with just a one-day break, free agency opens up on Monday and the real chaos begins.

    So, while all teams have an opportunity to re-shape their roster and prepare for the 2024-25 season, what are the Minnesota Wild expected to really do?

    The Wild will obviously be participating at the Draft in Las Vegas, owning the 13th overall pick and then five more selections on Saturday to make. They will get some good prospect that we have all watched highlights of and then we will try our best to get at the root of the late-round selections they will make.

    But beyond the Draft, what else are they going to do? Are they voluntarily going to do anything this week?

    As for free agency, the Wild roster is pretty much already set in stone. If they don't trade anyone, they already have 12 NHL forwards and five NHL defensemen signed to contracts for next season, and will fill out those skaters once they sign restricted free agent Declan Chisholm to a new deal.

    And if they decide to move from any of their 12 forwards, or not have someone like Vinni Lettieri or Liam Ohgren in the big-league lineup at the start of next season, they are certainly giving someone like Riley Heidt all the opportunity to make the team out of camp.

    So, in summation, they probably aren't signing any free agents unless they move some players out. The only signing they can realistically make is a depth defenseman to replace the departing Alex Goligoski and Dakota Mermis. How exciting.

    We are so sorry to mention it, but the Wild probably aren't going to be the most active team this summer.

    That's Wild 

    • We say this, but the Wild could certainly make a significant move by trading young center Marco Rossi, and it seems like Winnipeg Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty wants to sign somewhere else. Is there a fit here? [Hockey Wilderness]
    • The Wild have the 15th-highest odds to win the Stanley Cup next year. That is crazy. [The Hockey News]

    Off the trail...

    • From NHL laughing stock to champions: The journey of the Florida Panthers eventually lifting the Stanley Cup. [ESPN]
    • How 2024 draft prospect Tij Iginla's journey could see him make history. [ESPN]
    • Connor McDavid fell short of a hero's Game 7, despite winning the Conn Smythe. [The Ringer]
    By Thomas Williams  

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    Citizen Strife

    Best Player Available; don't do anything crazy, don't reach for need (wingers and defensemen); just see what other teams do and get whatever can be there.  There's no real consensus after 2-3, so god only knows what will the Wild will be left to choose from.

    Edited by Citizen Strife
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    Imyourhuckleberry
    3 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

    There's no real consensus after 2-3, so god only knows what will the Wild will be left to choose from.

    Definitely not a consensus on the order, but seems pretty safe that these 5 players go in the top 8.

    Macklin Celebrini, C

    Ivan Demidov, RW

    Artyom Levshunov, RD

    Cayden Lindstrom, C

    Zeev Buium, LD

    Catton and Dickinson should also be gone in the top 11, if not top 8.

    Parekh, Silayev, Eiserman, Helenius, Yakemchuk, Iginla, Sennecke and Brandsegg-Nygard seem to be all over the board in the top 15, depending upon the eye of the beholder, so should be an interesting night.

    Cannot imagine being upset by the Wild getting any of those players, but certainly some will be favored over others.

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    mnfaninnc

    I still believe in trading up if you've got a guy or guys in mind that you really want. But, I still don't know how much to trust the scouts, and if they are really good scouts. 

    If a guy falls, it might be Lindstrom with the now public herniated disc to couple with his hand injury. Interesting that the hand had surgery, the back did not.

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    raithis

    I also wouldn't be opposed to trading down if particular players were all off the board and the deal was good.

    Really curious to see how everything falls.

    Trading up would be okay too, but I wouldn't want trade Rossi for a prospect that hasn't played in the NHL if possible.  I'd rather trade Heidt if it came to it.

    Not that I'm opposed to trading Rossi, but I feel like we'd be better off packaging him in a trade for a young-ish proven NHL player rather than someone who hasn't even proven they can cut it in the AHL.  Otherwise, I'd rather stick with Rossi and utilize him more to his strengths rather than putting him in situations where he has to try to be like Ek.

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