Team: 2024-25 Minnesota Wild

Initial Creation Date: Jun. 11, 2024

Published: Jun. 11, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Before CapFrindly officially leaves I wanted to put in my final thoughts on this upcoming off-season and some of the trade pieces that are rumored to be on the block.

Rossi - maybe the Kevin Fiala trade is still too fresh in my head but it seems a bit similar. The exception, Fiala was traded away because we couldn't pay him and now Rossi being traded because there may not be room for him. I think Ek will for sure be your 1C or 2C for the future and Khus as a defensive-minded, shut-down 3C. With promising prospects such as Heidt and Yurov coming, it may be a perfect time to ship Rossi out for help on the blue line and an extra first-round pick to swing for the fences again. (Similar to the 2022 draft) Having defensive prospects such as Faber, Lambos (if he takes a promising step next year), Chesley, Hunt, Peart, and possibly Yakemchuk all being between 19ish-22 yrs old would be very VERY promising. On the other hand, I believe if you feel confident at being able to sign Rossi to a long-term extension for 8 yrs at around the 5 mil dollar mark, I would love that. That would turn into an Ek contract where you look back 2-3 yrs down the road and wonder how we got this kind of production long-term so cheap. I would feel good with either option.

Gus - it needs to be Wallstedt's net next year. I would trade Gus this offseason for Holtz and the pick swap. NJ needs a goalie, Minnesota needs a potential top-six goalscorer. It may seem like a steep price but I would only do a deal involving Gus before the draft if you feel that you got more than expected. If you wanted to throw in O'Rourke or someone similar, I would do that too if it made you feel better. If we decide to hold onto him for this season I think he will be VERY sought after at the deadline and some team in the hunt will probably pay a lot for him. Some people call it a sophomore slump last year but I don't think that was the case at all. For almost the entire season Minnesota was rolling out Faber, Middleton, Bogosian, and a revolving door of AHL-caliber defenseman to be in front of him (and he still posted a .899). Maybe I'm being naive but I don't think his sophomore slump was much of his fault. With a healthy blue-line in front of him, I think he can easily return to where he was in 2022-2023. Which would make him a hot commodity come the deadline. Again, I'm good with either option.

If you have made it this far, thank you and I'll miss sharing ideas with you all. Let me know what you think about this upcoming off-season. If you think I missed the mark, I want to know what you would do and what seems realistic.

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