Wild Eyeing Jean-Gabriel Pageau for Center Help?

The Minnesota Wild are just one of dozens of NHL teams looking for help down the middle. Could they turn to a defensively minded pivot from the New York Islanders?

According to Frank Seravalli on one of Daily Faceoff's many podcasts covering the latest news and trade rumors, the Wild could be looking at Jean-Gabriel Pageau for center help.

Pageau will be turning 33 years old this November and has just one year left on his contract that carries a $5-million AAV. Financially, it is perfectly manageable, but is he a fit when it comes to playing the actual game of hockey?

Through 79 games played last season, Pageau scored 14 goals and 42 points and for the first time in a couple seasons, the two-way center had some positive underlying metrics. While he was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Islanders had 51.2 percent of the shot attempt share and 52 percent of the unblocked shot attempt share. Maybe it's the fact that Pageau had an offensive zone start percentage over 50 percent for the first time since the 2013-14 season, giving him a little bit of an easier deployment. But, he still showed that he can hang.

It would be a very short-term bet and we would all collectively need to beg Wild GM Bill Guerin to not immediately ink a contract extension for a 33-year-old.

While Pageau is certainly a step down from the tiers of the coveted Brock Nelson or theoretical desire of Matt Duchene, he wouldn't be the worst bet to make. It is completely dependent on what the Wild give up in return, but considering the Islanders are turning a page with the first-overall selection at the 2025 NHL Draft this Friday, and are attempting this retool -- could a B-level prospect and a mid-round draft pick be enough? It's tough to tell how much value Pageau holds, honestly.

The Wild are going to get some sort of center no matter what, and then ship out a very good one in Marco Rossi, eventually.