Time continues to tick away ahead of the Seattle Expansion Draft on Wednesday, July 21, with teams needing to submit their protection lists to the National Hockey League by 5 p.m. ET this Saturday, July 17. Also by Saturday, the NHL will undergo a roster freeze through the Expansion Draft, with teams then having nearly 48 hours until Round 1 of the 2021 NHL Draft gets underway on Friday, July 23.
While the Buffalo Sabres have already had quite a busy offseason since their 2020-21 regular season ended in May, the team continues to reportedly gauge the trade market with players like Sam Reinhart, Rasmus Ristolainen and, most notably, Jack Eichel.
The speculation surrounding a potential Eichel trade has been swirling for quite some time now, especially after voicing his frustrations over the "disconnect" between himself and the organization with the herniated disk in his neck. While there has reportedly been a number of teams to have inquired about Eichel's services and his injury, the asking price from the Sabres has been quite high, but understandably so. There has been reports that the price for the Buffalo captain has been up to four first round assets.
While the Anaheim Ducks have been one of the teams widely talked about as a contender to land the 24-year-old, the Minnesota Wild have also been a part of the conversations for quite some time.
The Wild finished the 2020-21 season much better than many had originally anticipated with a 35-16-5 and 75 points in the NHL's West Division. It was good for Minnesota to finish third in the division and make the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons. However, the Wild just failed to get past the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round, losing in seven games.
Over the last nine seasons, the Wild have managed to find different ways into the playoffs, sometimes barely managing to get into the playoff picture until the last minute. In the team's eight playoff appearances, it has only made it past the opening round twice, but each time resulted in an early exit. The last time Minnesota advanced past the first round of the playoffs was in 2015, but the Wild were swept in four games at the hands of the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.
The last and only time the Wild made it to the Western Conference Final came back in 2003 when they matched up with the, then, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. It didn't end so well, as Minnesota got swept in four games.
While the roster in Minnesota has a good group of young talent and other pieces that continue to find ways of returning to the playoffs, the team has pretty much been middling for a majority of that span in the overall picture of the NHL. Minnesota's best finish came in the 2016-17 season with a fifth place finish overall in the regular season, while the team finished 21st overall both in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 season.
What the team has truly been missing over that span is a top-line center with exceptional talent to lead the way offensively for the group. Sure, the Wild have had the likes of Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise, Mikael Granlund, and even former Sabres players Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek and Eric Staal contribute, but none of them have been able to be an offensive force in the wider scope of the NHL.
The closest taste Minnesota has had of a dynamic offensive player to really help change the tide recently is Kirill Kaprizov, who just won the Calder Trophy this past year as the NHL's Rookie of the Year. In his first NHL season this past year, the 24-year-old led the Wild with 51 points (27+24) in 55 games, and was one vote away from being the unanimous winner of the Calder Trophy.
Despite the production from Kaprizov this past season, he mainly played second line minutes at even strength, and played on the left wing with Victor Rask as his primary center.
With a true No. 1 center anchoring a line with Kaprizov skating on the left wing and a player like Mats Zuccarello on the right side, not only will a player like Kaprizov's production likely increase, but the team will be much better off as well.
The closest the Wild have to a No. 1 center on their roster, at this point, is Joel Eriksson Ek, who just re-signed with the team to an eight-year contract extension worth $42 million. However, the former first round pick (20th overall) of the Wild in 2015 has only produced 96 career points (43+53) in 266 games. His most-productive season came this past year with 19 goals and 11 assists for 30 points in all 56 games.
While the 24-year-old's role with the Wild has increased from season-to-season, Eriksson Ek may not be the premier playmaking center with No. 1 potential. With a competent top-line center ahead of him, Eriksson Ek is more of a perfect fit to fill the No. 2 center role.
Other centers under contract on the roster include Rask with one more year at $4 million, as well as Nico Sturm with one more year at $725,000. Nick Bonino and Marcus Johansson were also on the roster last season who could play down the middle, but they are heading into unrestricted free agency this summer.
An addition of Eichel to the Wild roster would be an instant upgrade and help Minnesota become instant contenders in the Western Conference. But is there legitimate interest, and could a trade between the Sabres and Wild work?
Starting with the current salary cap, CapFriendly projects the Wild to have just under $26.265 million of space. That number increased quite a bit on Tuesday thanks to the buyouts of left winger Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter. Both buyouts helped open up a little more than $10.333 million of cap space this season, which creates plenty or room to fit Eichel's $10 million cap hit.
During a recent interview on the "Howard and Jeremy Show" on WGR, Judd Zulgad from SKOR North in Minnesota believes the Wild would definitely be contenders to land Eichel in a trade. However, the question of whether a deal gets done or not comes down to two things: The price tag and how much it would cost the Wild.
"I think they could get around it. I think they could make it work," Zulgad said. "But in this day in age with the cap, supposedly, remaining flat for the next five years in this league, I think cap concerns are going to be there pretty consistently for everybody but a few of the teams that traditionally don't spend as much."
When negotiating a possible trade package between both teams, Zulgad is aware the Sabres are likely going to start with a pair of Minnesota's top prospects in the system.
"My guess is that the Sabres, from a starting point from the Wild (this is where it gets dicey), would want Marco Rossi, who was the Wild's first round pick last year. He looks like a really good player," Zulgad said. "The problem is he had [COVID-19] and subsequently had a heart issue and sat out the season, but he's fine now. I would say they want him or Matthew Boldy, who was the Wild's first round pick a couple years ago who is prepared to play right now in the National Hockey League. He's a big forward, winger, sort of plays like a hybrid center."
This is where trade talks have to start when discussing a potential Eichel trade with the Wild. Like the potential talks with the Ducks with Trevor Zegras or Jamie Drysdale, if trade talks don't involve either Rossi or Boldy as part of the main package, there is nothing further to talk about.
Rossi was the ninth overall pick of the Wild in the 2020 NHL Draft after the Sabres made the selection of his Ottawa 67's teammate, Jack Quinn with the pick before. While playing in Ottawa during his draft year in the Ontario Hockey League, Rossi dominated with 120 points (39+81) in 56 games before the season was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The native of Austria is a very good playmaker with the puck on his stick, who can distribute the puck well and use some good patience and deception to make a play happen. He's a weapon on the power play, he has a quick release on his shot, and also has a good motor to be able to move around extremely well on the ice. Rossi is also quite reliable in his own end, and has been able to step up and play some key minutes at both ends of the ice.
Rossi may not have the greatest size just 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, but he has shown the ability to stay strong on the puck and be able to take a physical beating anywhere on the ice.
While Rossi did contract COVID-19 this year and went through some serious complications on his road to recovery, it appears Rossi is gearing up for the 2021-22 season, wherever that may be.
Meanwhile, Boldy is coming off a stellar 2020-21 campaign playing at Boston College, the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship, and in the American Hockey League with the Iowa Wild.
As a sophomore with the Eagles, the 20-year-old led the team in scoring with 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points in just 22 games. Boldy also got the chance to represent the United States in Edmonton for the World Juniors, where he scored five goals and added two assists for seven points in seven games.
Following his collegiate season, Boldy signed his three-year entry-level contract and went straight to the AHL, where he continued to produce with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points in just 14 games. He ended up getting called up to the NHL for Minnesota's playoff run against the Golden Knights, but never dressed for a game.
The one thing that stands out with Boldy's game is his presence with the puck on his stick. He's a very gifted playmaker with great patience, and has a knack for getting below the hash marks and creating havoc in-and-around the net. He can thread the needle with his passes, he can be Johnny-on-the-spot around the net, or he can beat you with his shot.
When comparing the 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward to his fellow prospect in Rossi, Boldy brings a different style of game that would make him a valued commodity for a team like the Sabres in a deal.
"I would say if I had to rank it, I'd say Rossi might have the most upside, but it's sort of an unknown at this point," Zulgad said. "Boldy, from what's he's done, the kid does look like a stud. I would not be surprised if Boldy was targeted, because he's going to bring you, what looks to be, a power forward, winger-type [player]."
If Boldy can contribute from both the wing and at center when needed, he may potentially be seen as a more desirable asset than Rossi in a trade with the Wild. However, if the Sabres were able to swing one of either Rossi or Boldy, they'd be getting one heck of a player going forward.
The other main piece the Sabres will likely request in a trade with the Wild for Eichel is one, if not both, of Minnesota's first round picks in the 2021 NHL Draft. The Wild hold their own first round pick at 21st overall, followed by the 26th overall pick that was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Jason Zucker trade.
The 2021 NHL Draft is not a highly-touted class of prospects, with the top-10 of the class being a group of good to very good players. After the top-10, the value of the class drops off a bit, with the players in the 20-40 ranger of the draft almost being interchangeable from one another.
If Minnesota is unwilling to give up both picks in an Eichel deal, then the Sabres will likely ask for the highest of the picks at 21, which they could then use to try and move up even higher in the draft, if possible.
Following the ask for Rossi or Boldy and a first round pick (or two) in the 2021 NHL Draft, the Sabres may look to add one more sweeten the deal a step further.
There is no way the Sabres are going to be able to land a player like Kaprizov in any potential Eichel deal. The Wild are not going to give up the reigning Calder Trophy winner, who they have coveted over the years since drafting him in 2015 to come over from the Kontinental Hockey League. Kaprizov is about the only untouchable asset the Wild have in any trade scenario.
Could the Sabres find a way to get Eriksson Ek back in return for Eichel? Potentially, but it seems the Wild are committed to him with the long-term extension signed just a short while ago.
One potential option the Sabres could add to their roster who could make an impact at the NHL level right away is forward Kevin Fiala, who is set to be a restricted free agent this summer.
"[He's] a winger who can score; he's not a center, which isn't as good, but he can definitely put the puck in the net. He's a talented kid," Zulgad said.
After being acquired from the Nashville Predators at the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, Fiala has found his groove in Minnesota with 101 points (46+55) in 133 games. In 204 career games in Nashville, the former first round pick (11th overall) in 2014 only managed 45 goals and 52 assist for 97 points.
Fiala's last contract with the Wild saw him signing for $3 million per-year over a two-year stretch. If the Sabres were able to include Fiala in an Eichel deal, the team would have plenty of salary cap space to get him under contract and also get another solid offensive weapon to add to a young corps in place.
The soon-to-be 25-year-old can bring a game-breaking offensive presence with quick speed and great hands, and even a solid 5-foot-10, 198-pound frame to boot.
Another potential option for the Sabres over a player like Fiala is winger Jordan Greenway, who was a former second round pick (50th overall) of the Wild in 2015.
The 24-year-old is coming off his best season in the NHL this year with six goals and 26 assists for 32 points in 56 games. The 6-foot-6, 241-pound winger brings a tough, power-forward style of play, and is a player that is not afraid of going to the dirty areas of the ice and putting his nose to the grind stone.
Greenway has one more year remaining on his contract at $2.1 million before becoming a restricted free agent next summer.
Where the Wild may want to help themselves even further with their salary cap this season is by trying to get Buffalo to take a bigger contract they have off the books. The most common name that is brought up in this discussion is Rask and the one year remaining on his contract at $4 million.
The biggest thing with the Sabres here is Rask will help the Sabres reach the salary cap floor while being on the books just for another season. It's a low risk move that can easily be made, but not without getting something else in return from the Wild.
"If I'm Buffalo, I'd probably say no, unless I get both first round picks, to Victor Rask's contract, who's going to do nothing." Zulgad said. "I think the Wild would ask the Sabres to take Rask's contract, and if I'm the Sabres at that point, I'd say, 'I have to have both your first round picks.'
"If I'm the Sabres, I'm not going to do Bill Guerin a favor unless I get something back too, because I'm not trading you, what could be still, a generationally great player and then saying, 'Oh yeah, sure, throw in your garbage and that's great too.' I've got to get something back if I'm going to do that for you."
With the Sabres potentially taking in a Rask contract as part of this deal, they could look to add another prospect to the pipeline as compensation. Perhaps a player like Adam Beckman could be part of the discussions in this case.
The 20-year-old winger has yet to play in the NHL, but he's had considerable success playing in the Western Hockey League over the last three seasons. While playing with the Spokane Chiefs, Beckman has produced 196 points (97+99) in 153 games played, including a 107-point campaign (48+59) in the 2019-20 season that saw him being named the WHL Player of the Year over Sabres forward Dylan Cozens.
The former third round pick (75th overall) of the Wild in the 2019 NHL Draft is a smart playmaking winger with a quick release to his shot and a good sense of the game around him.
Buffalo could also look to the future even more in a trade like this, possibly asking for a future high draft pick. It could be a first round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, or maybe a conditional pick that can become a first if all the conditions are met.
The 2022 NHL Draft is already being touted as a decent draft class, especially near the top of the class with players like Shane Wright, Brad Lambert and Matthew Savoie headlining the group.
So how could this potential trade look when it's all said and done?
Here's a trade to ponder with the Wild:
Minnesota acquires:
- C - Jack Eichel
Buffalo acquires:
- LW - Matt Boldy
- C - Victor Rask
- LW - Kevin Fiala
- 2021 first round pick (21st overall)
- Conditional 2022 first round pick
Again, there could be additional assets from either side to make this deal work and that much more significant. But with projecting any move such as this to be made, it is always a mystery.
And yes, Eichel's injury status still presents a lot of uncertainties that can make a return for this trade look like a bit much.
Just remember: Buffalo has to look at this move with the best quality return in mind to help get the franchise going on a long-term upward track.
Related
In case you missed Zulgad's interview during the "Howard and Jeremy Show," you can listen to it in its entirety below: