The Minnesota Wild are buying… but no one’s selling.
The story of the NHL’s offseason is that of an arms race where teams are loading up… with nothing. Teams are flush with cap space, but the product isn’t out on the free agent market. The few big-name players were re-signed by their teams as soon as they realized how the summer would play out.
This means that “Christmas Morning” didn’t arrive for the Wild, who had hoped to land a big-name player via free agency or trade. With the draft and free agency largely in the rearview mirror, the next opportunity for holiday festivities comes at trade deadline season.
Teams not named “the Pittsburgh Penguins” aren’t selling now because they’re hoping that they can move up into the playoff picture this next season. In July, any GM can convince themselves that their team is competitive. By January, the reality checks will have been written out, and teams that were reluctant to sell in the summer will be looking to cash in assets for futures.
We assume.
Of course, not all selling teams are equal. The Penguins are a great example. Sure, if they were willing to deal Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, that’d be a different story. But in reality, we’re talking about less-than-exciting names like Bryan Rust and Thomas Novak.
If the Chicago Blackhawks flop this season, are teams going to be lining up to pilfer their roster? As much as Bill Guerin (and a bunch of other GMs) would covet getting Nick Foligno for a playoff run, there’d be no one available to qualify as a “Christmas Morning”-type add.
So, what teams should Wild fans hope fall out of the picture and sell at the deadline?
The big dreams from the fan base involve centers with multiple years left on their contracts who may theoretically demand out of their situation if things go wrong. You know their names: Dylan Larkin, Tage Thompson, and Brady Tkachuk.
We’re going to narrow our scope just a touch. We’re looking for teams with either veteran forwards who will become UFA in 2026 or (preferably) 2027, or soon-to-be expensive RFAs in the 24- to 26-year-old age range.
Which teams would have the most to offer the Wild if things go south?
Buffalo Sabres
Even if Thompson doesn’t shake loose, Buffalo would make sense for the Wild to examine.
There’s a lot of potential for some “The Boys Are Back In Town” action with Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker (UFA 2027), but the obvious fit is Alex Tuch (UFA 2026).
Tuch isn’t the two-way force he was with the Vegas Golden Knights, but he still fits the bill as a power forward. The 6-foot-4 right-shot winger has banked 36 goals in two of the past three seasons and remains elite at driving offense at even-strength. Even as a pure rental, he’d add a new element to Minnesota.
Even if we go a tier below Tuch, there are still some intriguing names that could become available. The most obvious is Jack Quinn (RFA 2027), a 2020 first-round pick and former teammate of Marco Rossi on the Ottawa 67s. He’d be a reclamation project for Minnesota, but a right-shot forward with some goal-scoring chops might be worth looking into.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Jackets are included here because we’re vultures circling the franchise’s historical misery. Columbus has Kirill Marchenko (RFA 2027) on a deal that’s so cheap it might as well be free, paying him just $3.85 million against the cap. The soon-to-be 25-year-old racked up 31 goals and 74 points last season while playing at a borderline-MVP level, contributing 5.1 Standings Points Above Replacement, according to Evolving-Hockey.
Perhaps it’s not ideal to fuel Columbus’ paranoia. Still, if there’s any indication that Marchenko might follow in the footsteps of Artemiy Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky, the Wild should be all over the situation. It’d probably be the best way to use Kirill Kaprizov’s clout in an attempt to create a Russian Superfriends in St. Paul.
Other names to monitor might include 22-year-old Kent Johnson (RFA 2027), who found his way under Dean Evason last year, scoring 24 goals and 57 points on the wing. Still, he has been unhappy with the organization before, and if old grudges resurface, that presents an opportunity. Minnesota might also have use for reclamation projects in Yegor Chinakhov and center Cole Sillinger (RFA 2026).
Nashville Predators
If Nashville can repeat its nightmare season, Ryan O’Reilly (UFA 2027) would be a perfect veteran target for Minnesota. His two-way credentials as a center are undisputed, even if last year was a step back, and you can’t knock his playoff pedigree. He’s averaged more goals and points in the playoffs (26 and 68, respectively) per 82 games than he has in the regular season (20/59) and has a Conn Smythe Award on his shelf.
Even better, O’Reilly would come with an incredibly cheap $4.5 million cap hit. The hope would be that he’d remember his minutes as a Minnesota Wild player fondly and be psyched to return to the team that paid him a small part of his salary in 2023.
And as long as we’re dreaming about Cup-winning centers, if all Steven Stamkos (UFA 2028) knows in Nashville is two years of losing, what’s his motivation to stay in Nashville for the last two years?
New York Rangers
Panarin (UFA 2026) would be the primary target, and likely the only real one for Minnesota’s purposes. Like with Marchenko, this would be a test of how much pull Kaprizov’s presence would have on fellow Russian players. If the Rangers stay out of the playoff picture, the Wild can get an early start on free agency in 2026.
Seattle Kraken
If Seattle becomes a seller next season, they might have the most to offer the Wild of any team. The highlight is Jared McCann (UFA 2027), who is 29 and has 132 goals since the start of the 2020-21 season. That’s 46th in the NHL over that time, in line with the likes of Larkin (135), Brad Marchand (134), Elias Pettersson (131), and Brock Boeser (130). For a $5 million cap hit this season and next, the Wild would be getting a lot of bang for their buck.
The Kraken also has a ton of veterans who are set to go UFA in 2026. They could corner the rental market with 6-foot-5 Mason Marchment, Jaden Schwartz, Jordan Eberle, and underrated goal-scorer Eeli Tolvanen. Maybe we’re veering away from “Christmas Morning” — if there were those kinds of players, Seattle wouldn’t be expected to be an also-ran — but each of them could help the Wild.
The NHL landscape looks stagnant right now, but it won’t stay that way forever. As teams fall in and out of contention, new names could easily shake loose, and the Wild need to be ready to strike. Even if Minnesota can’t make those deals now, they’ll be smart to use the summer to lay the groundwork that leads to them reeling in a big fish.