With the National Hockey League Trade Deadline less than a week away, the Minnesota Wild will be looking to bolster their position in the Central Division standings and go on an extended run that will hopefully result in a far longer stay in this year's Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With the bitter sting of last year's 1st round exit at the hands of the rival St. Louis Blues still fresh in their minds, the Wild aim to overcome the ghosts of playoff past - and could be looking for some reinforcements on the open market in order to make that dream a reality.
What exactly does Wild general manager Bill Guerin have up his sleeve? Well, according to the man himself, he hopes to be "very active" by Friday's deadline.
“The objective is to make the team better if we can,” Guerin said of his trade deadline strategy. “It depends on asking prices and cost and things like that. We don’t want to make the team worse in any way right now or for the future. We just want to make sure that we’re properly managing our assets.”
However, don't expect him to be parting with any top-end prospects or high draft capital, as he's setting the stage for when the buyouts of former Wild franchise faces Zach Parise and Ryan Suter come off the books.
“That’s why we don’t get rid of high-end assets. It’s because we’re planning for that,” he said.
Among the trade candidates on the Wild roster that have been mentioned in recent weeks include defenseman Matt Dumba. But according to Guerin, Dumba won't be going anywhere unless they get a Godfather-style offer in return.
“If somebody comes through and offers us a boatload for him, we’ll think about it,” Guerin said. “But I actually think Matt’s playing his best hockey of the year right now. I would probably bet that he’s here through the end of the year, but I can’t make that promise.”
