3 Wild trade candidates after Golden Knights series loss

Timing is everything when you are considering the NHL salary cap, and timing is not on the side of Marco Rossi and the Wild. The former first-round pick has consecutive 20-goal seasons and is a restricted free agent this offseason. He needs a new deal as Kaprizov’s extension is looming over the team. The smart thing to do would be to trade Rossi while his value is extremely high.

Rossi scored 24 goals and added 36 assists for a 60-point campaign this season, all career highs. He will be only 24 years old when the season opens next year and would fit on just about every contender. The Wild could go one of two ways with trading Rossi. They could send him to a team that gives them prospects and future picks so they can build around Kaprizov for the long term. Or they could pick up players with years left on their deals and small cap hits to make the 2025 team better.

This trade should not happen until the Wild lock Kaprizov in for the foreseeable future. He is their franchise cornerstone, and sometimes paying those guys costs you other talented players. Because they already paid Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, Marco Rossi will be without a chair when the music stops.

Has Ryan Hartman worn out his welcome?

During the regular season, Ryan Hartman laid a dirty hit on Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle. He was suspended for ten games, which was reduced to eight by the commissioner’s office. In the aftermath of that suspension, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that there were people in the Wild organization who were upset with Hartman because of his history with the Department of Player Safety. Even though he bounced back and was solid in the playoffs, the Wild could trade Hartman.

Starting on July 1, Hartman can submit a 15-team no-trade list to the Wild. But, Minnesota could trade him to any team not on that list. There will almost certainly be a playoff team that convinces themselves they were not physical enough to win the Stanley Cup. That team should call the Wild and try and get Hartman, who has two years left at $4 million per year.

Trading the captain is not impossible

Jared Spurgeon will be 36 years old when next season begins and has two years left at $7.575 million annually. His injury concerns have continued, playing only 16 games in 2023-24 and 66 this year, and he is not getting any younger. With Brock Faber’s $8.25 million extension kicking in on July 1, the Wild could clear some space by trading their captain.

This could be the move that helps free up the space to keep Rossi if they were willing to do it. Spurgeon has a ten-team no-trade list, so that makes it more difficult but not impossible. The Wild have a solid defensive core and could use his roster spot on Zeev Buium, their top prospect, who made his NHL debut during the playoffs.

The Wild have some choices to make this offseason and will likely be one of the only teams looking to clear salary as the cap explodes. Can they take advantage of the market and pick up more prospects to build around Kaprizov, Boldy, and Faber?