Wild Tried To Acquire Robert Thomas At Trade Deadline

An impactful top center has been atop Minnesota’s wish list for many years now.  While Joel Eriksson Ek is a quality top-six middleman, they haven’t been able to find the pivot to help round out their top six.  It appears that they attempted to do so before the trade deadline, however, with Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic reporting (subscription link) that the Wild made a pitch to acquire Robert Thomas from the Blues.  Included in the proposed package were goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and center Danila Yurov.

Back in March, the expectation was that the Blues were seeking at least three top-15-level assets (players, prospects, or draft picks) plus maybe more if they were going to part with Thomas.  Wallstedt and Yurov, though both picked just outside the top-15, probably would meet the criteria, but it’s unclear what else Minnesota was offering in their package.  Their 2026 first-round pick was moved in the Quinn Hughes trade earlier this season, making their 2027 first a logical piece, although it’s unlikely that the Wild will be in the back of the lottery next summer.

Thomas would certainly have been a needle-mover for Minnesota.  The 26-year-old surpassed the 80-point mark in 2023-24 and 2024-25 and would have had a chance to do so this season had he not missed 18 games due to injury.  Still, Thomas put up 64 points in 64 outings.  He also took a regular turn on the penalty kill and would have given Minnesota an all-around impactful center, one who is signed through 2030-31 at an $8.125MM AAV that will become even more team-friendly in the coming years.

That said, it’s understandable that the Blues wouldn’t view Wallstedt and Yurov as being viable centerpieces of a trade for their best forward.  It’s not that neither is a quality player but rather that the fit on the roster is less certain.

Wallstedt’s first full NHL season was a successful one.  He worked his way into a platoon with Filip Gustavsson, getting into 35 games during the regular season where he had a solid 2.65 GAA with a .915 SV% along with four shutouts.  He then took over as the starter for Minnesota’s playoff run, compiling a 2.77 GAA and a .909 SV%, numbers that are skewed by the opening game of the Colorado series that saw him allow eight goals.  But while he’s certainly a quality young goaltender, St. Louis has Joel Hofer in the mix already and are likely envisioning him as their goalie of the future.  He and Wallstedt would make for an enticing tandem, but moving a top center for a tandem piece might not be the most practical for them.

As for Yurov, he had a decent first season in North America.  The 22-year-old potted 12 goals and 15 assists in 73 games, playing primarily in the bottom six.  He also stuck down the middle all season although there are some questions about his ability to stay there long-term.  That’s where the fit with the Blues becomes less certain.  Yes, he’s a promising player but if St. Louis is going to move their top center, they’d probably prefer a youngster coming back who is more of a safer bet to be a top-six middleman down the road.

Given that Minnesota’s need still exists and Wallstedt’s value is likely higher now than it was back at the deadline based on his playoff performance, it wouldn’t be entirely shocking to see GM Bill Guerin circle back on this.  And if it doesn’t pan out, the two youngsters represent intriguing trade chips to try to bring in a quality center to make their roster that much more dangerous.