Team: 2018-19 Minnesota Wild

Initial Creation Date: Oct. 21, 2018

Published: Oct. 21, 2018

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I know this description is long, but I ask that you please read it to see where I'm coming from and my thought process behind the trades. I prefaced them with titles to make it a little more comprehensive and easier to refer to.

Why the Wild need Nylander:
The Wild have started picking up the pace and have looked better each game, but our transitioning is still disgustingly bad. We rely HEAVILY on dumping the puck and chasing it into the offensive zone (except for the rare opportunity when Granlund or Spurgeon carry the puck into the zone), but what use is playing "dump and chase" when we can't even fulfill the "chase" portion? The answer: a ton of turnovers and very little offensive zone time. We've found ways to score and win games but that continues to be an issue for us. I'm going to admit, paying Nylander $8M right now is an overpayment. I hold the belief that he is worth around $7-7.5M on an 8 year deal which is probably more than most people value him, but he is an absolute wizard at transitioning the puck and holding the offensive zone. He's PERFECT for this Wild team that has struggled to do just that the past few years. Add that to the fact he'd be playing center on this team and he has produced at a pretty impressive rate for being only 22 and that's why I'd be fine if we paid him $1-.5M over what he's worth. Call me crazy all you want, but I think in 1-2 years that contract will look great when he (hypothetically) became our 1C. Nylander is also a young right shot player. The Wild have been constantly peppered by announcers for the fact that they are the 5th oldest team on average in the NHL (with an average age of 27.9 years). Nylanders youth and speed makes us that much younger and faster. His right handedness is also a huge plus since we have struggled at times to score due to having too many lefties, especially on the power play. Coyle is our only right shot in our top 9, and we could really benefit bringing in at least one more (particularly a center). Nylander checks off every box in the need category for this team.

Why Dubas probably can't demand Dumba:
First of all, IF it comes down to Dubas being forced to trade Nylander, he won't have as much leverage in a trade for 2 reasons. One being that Nylander wants more than what Dubas is willing to pay (which effectively brings Nylander's value down in a trade by carrying a higher cap hit) and two being the December 1st deadline where Nylander is no longer eligible to play in the NHL for the season (which in turn kills Nylander's trade value this year and possibly in the future since GM's could label him as a "difficult player to negotiate with"). This is why Dubas couldn't demand someone like Dumba from the Wild in a hypothetical Nylander trade. I mention Dumba because for one, he is a 1RD which would fill TOR's needs, two he is relatively young, and three, he has been playing phenomenally this year. He is in a 3-way tie for most goals scored on the Wild thus far (he has 3 in 8 games) and is 2nd among all skaters on the Wild in ice time (averaging 24:35 per night). He has also been a physical monster, making 23 hits this season which is behind only Foligno (who has 24) on our team. It's safe to say he has proven he is worth of being a 1RD for this team. It's my belief that Dumba, Dubnyk, Granlund, and Zucker (and of course the NMC gang of Koivu, Parise, and Suter) are the untouchable players for us right now, based off of how they've been playing.

What defenseman could we trade:
So, in order to fit the Leafs needs of a defenseman, that leaves Spurgeon or Brodin. Brodin has looked far worse than Spurgeon, but that's not to say Brodin has been playing poorly (because he hasn't). Brodin is also a LHD, although he did once play RD on the top pairing with Suter and can play the position effectively. I think Brodin could be more attractive due to his age and contract (he's cheaper than Spurgeon and has an extra year), but if the Leafs want an immediate upgrade, they should seriously consider Spurgeon. Spurgeon is in an odd spot with the Wild right now. He's been playing pretty well, he has 4 points (1 goal) so far and he is 3rd among all skaters on the Wild in ice time averaging 22:40 per night. We haven't seen him block as many shots as we're used to, but I imagine that will pick up. The eye test will further show that Spurgeon has been solid. He's shut down plays and has been a beast along the boards to retrieve pucks. I think Spurgeon is a perfect fit for Toronto due to his defensive ability and also his ability to chip in offensively. He's your perfect do-it-all two-way defenseman that is really good at transitioning the puck (he's probably our 2nd best transition player behind Granlund) and he plays his heart out each shift. Losing him really hurts, but we have good depth at RD and I think we would come out OK if we lost him. I think Spurgeon would consider waiving his NTC to go to Toronto for two reasons. First, he has a much better chance at winning a cup there. Second, Toronto has Tyler Ennis. Ennis and Spurgeon are childhood best friends (and still are to this day, they work out together in the offseason) that used to dream of winning a cup together. The Athletic wrote a piece on this last year and if you're interested a quick google search should give you access if you have a subscription.

Additional pieces in the trade:
Now, trading Brodin or Spurgeon alone isn't going to be enough for Nylander. Sure, Nylander's value is hurt because of his contract demands but he'll still fetch a very nice return from Toronto. This opens up the question, what else would have to be added? Toronto should be in win-now mode with the pieces they have in place, this removes any picks or prospects as a center piece to a trade (although later picks/lesser prospects could be used to balance a trade) and means roster players coming back instead. The Leafs have no need for a pure center (such as Staal) but could use some help on the wing, particularly the LW. I believe there's two prime candidates for the Wild to add: Charlie Coyle and Nino Niederreiter. What is ironic about these two is that both dealt with major injury issues last year, which destroyed their point totals. Both could easily be 60 point players this year. Coyle has been just OK to start the year. He's had some good plays but hasn't been super noticeable on the ice at times. He has 4 points in 8 games which isn't great but isn't terrible. He's on a very cheap contract which is a big plus for a team like Toronto who will be strapped by cap in a year, but he also only has 2 more years left on his current deal and is a UFA when that expires. Coyle can also take draws and has experience at center, so if there happens to be an injury the Leafs would have a guy that could fill in at center effectively. Nino, on the other hand, has really struggled to start the year. He has 2 measly assists in 8 games. Not good for a guy with 3 consecutive 20 goal seasons under his belt (and was on pace for 4 last year had he not been injured) but Niederreiter has been extremely snake-bitten. He is 6th among all skaters on the Wild in total shots and has 0 goals. He's had good opportunities but just hasn't been able to bury anything. Nino has always been praised by Wild fans for his defensive ability, and he has shown flashes of that this year. I think Nino could really benefit by getting a change in scenery, but I'm not sure many teams will want his 4 year $5.25M contract. Nino can play either wing position effectively, which adds some versatility for the Leafs.

Hopefully that explains why I feel Spurgeon + Nino/Coyle would be good additions for the Leafs and why this makes sense for the Wild. I think if the Leafs did add anything, I would prefer a pick or Josh Levio. Leivo is stuck in the depth charts in Toronto where he'd be playing on the 3rd line on the Wild. He's also a right shot, which is something we don't have much of as I explained above.


Here are the trade options the Wild could offer:

1.

2.