Russo and Smith: What we’re hearing and thinking about the Wild heading into trade deadline — mailbag style

Well, the Minnesota Wild have spoken loud and clear to president and general manager Bill Guerin: They are not a legit playoff contender.

Three consecutive losses before Sunday’s come-from-behind win over the lowly San Jose Sharks — behind Kirill Kaprizov’s hat trick — severely hampered the Wild’s playoff chances, so it’s looking like it’s probably time to punt on the season and get assets back for players who don’t have a future here.

The problem?

There’s not much to sell after Guerin extended the three players who would have been his best assets heading into Friday’s 2 p.m. deadline: Mats Zuccarello, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman.

All three are here to stay. Unless Marc-Andre Fleury changes his mind, he is too.

GO DEEPER

Wild trade tracker: Marc-Andre Fleury will not be moved regardless of next 4 games, per sources

That leaves Brandon Duhaime, Connor Dewar, Zach Bogosian and injured Pat Maroon as the players most likely in play this week, although the Wild are trying to extend the contract of Bogosian.

Here’s what we’re hearing and thinking heading into the big week.

What could a return for Brandon Duhaime realistically look like?

Russo: Guerin got a second-round pick for Jordan Greenway last trade deadline, so I bet he’s hoping he can get the same. If somebody offers a second, I bet he pulls the trigger. If it’s a third or lower, maybe he could get a player thrown in who could help now and in the future. With Foligno and Maroon hurt, the Wild really could use size up front if Duhaime’s about to go. There are several teams interested in the pending unrestricted free agent, so maybe that’ll drive up the price. How good would Duhaime look with the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning or New York Rangers? Teams love the physicality and energy he brings, although every scout always says the same thing: “I just wish he brought more offense.”

What could a return for Connor Dewar look like?

Russo: Mid-round draft pick, I’d assume. I get some fans are perplexed that Dewy 1 and 2 are being dangled, but with so many players having trade protection and Guerin having no appetite to trade his top players, Duhaime and Dewar, by process of elimination, are vulnerable. If the Wild want to give forwards like Marat Khusnutdinov, Liam Ohgren, WHL third-leading scorer Riley Heidt and Danila Yurov (if he doesn’t re-sign in the KHL) a chance to vie for jobs out of camp next fall, they have to free up roster spots. If Duhaime or possible restricted free agent Dewar aren’t going to be re-signed, the Wild may as well try to get assets back for them now. Of course, there aren’t great call-up options in Iowa, and with Marcus Johansson now hurt and Zuccarello missing Sunday’s game due to personal reasons, the Wild would become awfully thin up front if Duhaime and Dewar are dealt unless they also bring back forwards.

Is Marc-Andre Fleury still staying?

Smith: You wouldn’t blame the future Hall of Famer if he changed his mind from a week ago, when he told The Athletic he wanted to stay through the deadline, saying, “This is my team.” But we don’t see that happening. As The Athletic subsequently reported, Fleury and Guerin agreed that no matter what happened in the Wild’s four games before the deadline, Minnesota wasn’t going to move him. Fleury’s impressive streak of 17 consecutive seasons in the playoffs appears in jeopardy, which is a shame. But Fleury has earned the right to call the shots, and if he decides to continue playing and not retire this summer, there’s a world where the Wild look at re-signing him.

Is Declan Chisholm here to stay, or could you see him flipped at the deadline for assets?

Russo: He’s here to stay. The Wild specifically claimed him off waivers over the other option of acquiring a pending unrestricted free agent when it was determined Jared Spurgeon would be out for the season because they felt he could be a young blueliner for the future. He will be a restricted free agent and would be an inexpensive re-signing, so if they had a blue line next season featuring Jonas Brodin-Spurgeon, Jake Middleton–Brock Faber and Chisholm-Bogosian (if he’s extended), that’s a pretty good top-six.

What’s the latest with Bogosian?

Russo: The Wild are talking to his agent about extending him. Guerin wants him back and would do it if the price is right on a one- or two-year term. If he’s not extended by Friday, though, he could be traded, because teams are calling about the rugged, quality skating defenseman. The other option is to trade him for an asset and try to re-sign him if he becomes a free agent July 1.

Does Pat Maroon finish the season with the Wild?

Smith: Likely not. Maroon is still rehabbing from early February back surgery. The 35-year-old winger has started lightly skating this week, per coach John Hynes. That would put him potentially at least a few weeks from a return. Maroon, acquired in July for a seventh-rounder, should receive interest from contending teams looking for the three-time Cup winner’s pedigree, leadership and hands around the net. Maroon has a 16-team trade list and has enjoyed his stint in Minnesota, but he wants to be in the playoffs, so if there’s an offer Guerin likes, they’ll make something work.

Would the Wild consider moving Filip Gustavsson?

Smith: If so, I wouldn’t expect it to be at the deadline. The Wild gave Gustavsson a three-year deal last summer ($3.75 million average annual value) to reward him for his breakout season and because they thought the Swede had a chance to turn into a No. 1. His struggles since then — going from second in the NHL in save percentage to near the bottom — are cause for concern, but there are too many unknowns in the Wild crease — from whether Jesper Wallstedt is ready to if Fleury is retiring — to fully give up on him. Plus, it’s not like Gustavsson’s value is high right now. The expectation is that this topic gets re-evaluated over the summer.

Will Wallstedt be ready next year? If so, do the Wild re-sign Fleury or go with Gustavsson?

Russo: If the Wild fall any farther out of contention, it would make a lot of sense to get Wallstedt starts down the stretch to determine where he’s at in his development. Obviously, his lone NHL start was a disaster in Dallas, but he was thrown to the wolves in a second-of-back-to-back with several players hurt. It’s time to see what they’ve got in him, to help determine whether Fleury should be re-signed or Gustavsson traded this offseason. Wallstedt’s 16-15-2 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .906 save percentage on a bad Iowa team this season.

Do you see any Wild players with no-moves waiving and being traded?

Russo: Unless it’s Alex Goligoski, who didn’t waive last trade deadline or in the summer, no. If a team asked about Johansson, I’m sure Guerin would ask him. But the trade deadline is not the time a team’s going to try to acquire players with a lot of term like Foligno or Hartman. Once they got their extensions, they likely became impossible to move, with or without no-move clauses. Teams want rentals this time of year.

Does Khusnutdinov’s arrival make Marco Rossi expendable?

Smith: Khusnutdinov comes in with a lot of hype as a well-rounded, two-way, tenacious center, and he’s expected to jump right into the Wild lineup once his visa is complete. But the skilled Russian isn’t the reason Minnesota might listen on Rossi this summer. Rossi has had a quality rookie season — good, but not great, with 17 goals and 33 points. He’s shown he’s capable of playing a top-six center role. But, to me, the Wild said everything about their belief in Rossi last spring when they signed Gaudreau to a five-year deal then re-signed Hartman in September (one year away from free agency) to a three-year extension. If the Wild believed Rossi was the top-six center they envisioned when they drafted him in the first round, why double down on those two before you had to? So now, a franchise often short on centers, has Joel Eriksson Ek, Khusnutdinov, Rossi, Freddy Gaudreau and Hartman up the middle, plus Heidt expected to make his case for a roster spot in camp. Rossi could be a player the Wild move this offseason if the right deal comes up.

go-deeper

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Where will Marat Khusnutdinov fit in the Wild lineup when he arrives?

Are there any college free agents the Wild are looking at?

Russo: Yes. While we don’t know for sure, the Wild are following some college free agents. Like many teams, I’m sure they’re interested in guys like Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf and University of Michigan forward T.J. Hughes.

Do you expect the Wild to be trade brokers again this deadline?

Russo: No, your Ryan O’Reilly and Dmitry Orlov Wild jerseys from last season are collector’s items. An NHL source told me in January that while it’s on a case-by-case basis, the NHL would likely not find it kosher if a team exceeded the cap by virtue of long-term injured reserve (Spurgeon) and used that space to be third-party conduits, essentially purchasing draft picks with the extra space.

What can the Wild do about Freddy Gaudreau’s disappointing season?

Smith: Not much. You wonder how much the injury Gaudreau suffered in Game 3 on a hit by Ryan Reaves has impacted him. It makes sense as Gaudreau hasn’t been the same, with just four goals (he scored his first since Dec. 31 on Sunday), 12 points, a minus-17 rating and bad defensive metrics in 49 games. He also missed Saturday’s game in St. Louis due to a lingering injury. When Gaudreau was playing the Swiss Army Knife role and scoring 15 to 20 goals, the five-year, $2.1 million AAV deal seemed more palatable. Gaudreau would be hard to move right now between his contract, his drop in production and the fact that he’s got a 15-team no-trade list. I imagine this is something the Wild will consider this summer, though.

Is Faber eligible to sign an extension this summer, considering it wouldn’t start until 2025-26? Where do you see it landing — eight years, $8 million?

Russo: Yes, and yes. Maybe more.

(Top photo of Zach Bogosian and Marc-Andre Fleury defending the Wild net: Matt Blewett / USA Today)

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