![\"Kirill](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/NHL-New-York-Rangers-at-Minnesota-Wild-21823536-scaled-e1768841109934.jpg\")
Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
When the NHL league year flipped in July, the Minnesota Wild finally got out from under the Zach Parise + Ryan Suter buyout penalties<\/a> that had been hanging over the organization like a dark cloud for the last half-decade.<\/p>\n But president of hockey operations Bill Guerin didn\u2019t jump at his first opportunity to spend the Wild\u2019s newfound cap flexibility. Instead, he waited patiently, until the perfect big swing trade<\/a> presented itself seven months later.<\/p>\n At the end of December, Minnesota shocked the hockey world by jumping the line of NHL teams<\/a> trying to pry unhappy 26-year-old<\/a> superstar Quinn Hughes out of Vancouver, by offering the Canucks a deal they could not refuse<\/a> \u2014 (essentially) FOUR first round draft picks.<\/p>\n Minnesota Wild aren\u2019t done yet<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t take long after the Quinn Hughes deal was complete, before rumors of another MN Wild blockbuster trade started to percolate<\/a>. This team still has a SERIOUS issue up the middle, a problem that\u2019s been drastically exaggerated since Joel Eriksson Ek went out of the lineup.<\/p>\n Nobody has been pushing a second swing more than top NHL insider Michael Russo<\/a>. And on Monday, he and his colleague at The Athletic, Joe Smith<\/a>, released a list of potential trade candidates that make sense.<\/p>\n Guerin, who began his organizational midseason meetings in Arizona on Sunday, has been scouring ever since the Hughes pickup and will continue to do so.<\/p>\n The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n At the top of The Athletic\u2019s trade candidate list<\/a> are three New York Rangers. News broke leading into the weekend that the Rangers are officially selling at the deadline, and all three of (C) J.T. Miller, (C) Vincent Trochek and (LW) Artemi Panarin could make sense for the MN Wild.<\/p>\n But Russo and Smith aren\u2019t putting much stock into their own mention of Panarin, as a realistic option. Yes, he\u2019s a good friend and fellow countryman of Kirill Kaprizov and he would add offensive punch that this team needs. Panarin is a career 800 goal scorer who, at 34 years old<\/a>, is tracking for a career year.<\/p>\n #NYR<\/a> Artemi Panarin scores in his 800th NHL game. pic.twitter.com\/EhLIUMkxDE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew P. Mugno (@mugnoma) January 17, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Unfortunately, his downsides outweigh the possible positives of acquiring Panarin. First, he isn\u2019t a center, which is what the Minnesota Wild really need. But more importantly than that, it appears Bill Guerin and his front office are done doing business<\/a> with Artemi\u2019s agent, Paul Theofanous.<\/p>\n Bill Guerin finished with Kirill Kaprizov\u2019s agent, Paul Theofanous<\/p>\n In case you forgot, Theofanous \u2014 a popular<\/a> agent among top Russians in the NHL \u2014 is the same guy who held Kaprizov\u2019s contract extension hostage<\/a> from the Wild this offseason, until Guerin agreed to make the 28-year-old<\/a> BY FAR the league\u2019s highest paid superstar, at $17 million per year<\/a>.<\/p>\n Days later, other superstars including Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel signed team friendly deals<\/a> with Edmonton and Vegas, that cost $12.5 million and $13.5 million, respectively \u2014 a fraction of what Kaprizov cost the Wild.<\/p>\n Although a year ago we were convinced the Wild would want to team up Kaprizov with Panarin if Panarin got to free agency, we\u2019re not so certain anymore.<\/p>\n Beyond the fact the scoring winger is 34 and has had\u00a0some off-ice baggage<\/a>, we find it hard to believe the Wild are going to want to add another Theofanous client after he leveraged them into giving Kaprizov a record $136 million contract last September.<\/p>\n It hasn\u2019t made Kaprizov or the Wild look good that Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor and Adrian Kempe all played ball with their teams and signed for significantly less afterward.<\/p>\n The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n Minnesota Wild second swing before trade deadline won\u2019t be easy<\/p>\n Making a deal happen this time will have immense challenges, obstacles that the Hughes trade did not. For starters, the Minnesota Wild have dealt away most of their future first round draft picks<\/a>, and a lot of their best prospects, leaving the cupboards down in Iowa and beyond, rather bare.<\/p>\n Still, Guerin is expected to makes something happen<\/a> before March 7, when the deadline officially hits later than normal, thanks to the three-week Olympic break from February 2-22.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also worth noting that, while the best hockey players in the world are representing their countries in Milan, the NHL is freezing all trades back home (Feb 4-22). Deals can again be sent to the league starting at midnight (ET) on February 23.<\/p>\n It\u2019s possible Minnesota could swing a deal before February 2, but it seems unlikely, given their current injury situation, and how that affects their current cap flexibility.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to figure out exactly the amount of cap space the Wild will have at the March 6 deadline, because they have a half dozen players on the current roster who are Iowa call-ups eating into their cap accrual.<\/p>\n If they make a big trade before the Olympic trade freeze there theoretically could be no space. If they don\u2019t make a big trade before the Olympics, depending on health, the Wild could have between $7 million and $10 million to add a player or players.<\/p>\n The Athletic<\/a> More About: Minnesota Wild<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Artemi Panarin<\/a> Kirill Kaprizov<\/a> NHL Trade Deadline<\/a> Paul Theofanous<\/a> <\/p>\n![\"Add](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\"){kind=icon}
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