Will he trade Brodin or Dumba? Will he sign a free agent in this mediocre free agent center class? Will he do nothing? What are your favorite options and what are some realistic options?

Some scenarios brought up often:
Brodin for Domi
Brodin for Strome
Offer sheet Cirelli

Discuss away on your favorite options/realistic options/etc. Added a poll for fun.

I'm all for the OS to Cirelli. I like Strome but I cant give up Brodin for him. I don't like the idea of Domi at all.
I think Wild need to keep Brodin, Wild really doesn't have the depth behind him. Dumba is the logical move but because he was off his value seems to be too low to trade him.
I'd be interested in finding a young guy that is a bit of a reclamation project, Mittelstadt or Jost come to mind, but obviously got to get a deal on them.
After that I'm thinking don't sign anyone and move Kunin to center and bring up Sturm. When teams fall apart at the deadline try to find a deal, hoping Sharks fall flat and pursue a rebuild giving the Wild a chance to acquire Hurtl. I think by not signing FA's are salary cap space will really benefit us at trade time.

I've been so hot and cold on Strome. I think right now I'm cold. My biggest issue with him is not just his skating, but the fact he needs to slow the game down in order to make plays. That's what made him so good in junior and it just doesn't work in the NHL with how fast the game is played. I think he's a fine middle 6 C but his game prevents him from becoming a true top line player IMO.

I do love Cirelli for us. The kid plays his heart out, has speed to burn, fantastic hands, and is an underrated playmaker. I really do think the only way to get him is an offer sheet since a trade with Tampa is way too hard to make with their cap and player's NTC.

Domi I've been hot and cold on as well but mostly cold. I love the offense and his game in general but the fact is he's had one season of brilliance and the rest of his career screams a middle 6 center. Habs fans constantly tell me he was moved down the depth charts and had scrubs for wingers which squashed his production but my counter argument has been that if he truly was a 60+ point player then he would have played himself into a situation with good wingers. Just my 2 cents.

Mittelstadt is intriguing to me and especially so since the Sabres have a new GM who has no ties to drafting Mitts as high as Botterill did. He's a very talented player but Buffalo rushed him into the NHL. Some time in the AHL could benefit him greatly and who knows maybe he turns into another Nino.

I'd love Hertl as well, although Sharks fans seem adamant that they will rebuild around him. Maybe they do but he does turn 27 next season so they better rebuild fast...

Robert Thomas is someone I've had my eye on that I speculate could be a trade chip for the Blues if Pietrangelo walks. They won the cup with O'Reilly and Schenn at center so assuming those two stay at center then Thomas is too good to be a 3C. I know Schenn can play wing so it's possible they just move him there. If Pietrangelo walks though then something around Thomas for Dumba makes way too much sense

As you all have been talking about, I think the most realistic way that Guerin could address their need for a top-6 center is through trade. Obviously, the top 2 candidates to be used in a trade to acquire that center are Brodin and Dumba. For me, personally, I would hang onto Brodin, and give him a contract extension when they are allowed to do so. He is just one of the absolute best defensive defenseman in the game, such a smooth skater who's positioning is so, so good. While his offensive ability will never be the greatest, he did seem to show more of a willingness to jump up into the rush and into the offensive zone than in the past, and it showed with a career high 28 points in 69 games played, and I believe he should be a 30 point top pairing D for probably the next decade.

While Dumba does have the exciting and dynamic offensive ability (kinda like Brent Burns), I just simply do not know if he is ever gonna be a huge point scorer even with his skillset. I do love his work ethic, enthusiasm, and leadership abilities, but I feel like you could maybe get more value in return for a younger right shot offensive defenseman, whether.

As for the Cirelli offer-sheet option, I have been in favor of this for a while, as Cirelli seems very much to be the kind of center who can drive play and produce offense, all while being a great playmaker and defensive player, kind of like a Mikko Koivu. Could be good on a line with Kaprizov or Fiala.

Ultimately, whenever this upcoming offseason is, I think that aside from goaltending, the center position is of utmost importance for them to improve if they want to have a better chance at competing and being a playoff teams the next couple of seasons

Welcome to Capfriendly!

I think there's pros and cons for trading Dumba or Brodin. I firmly believe that Dumba's poor performance this past season relative to the way he was playing pre-injury was all in his head. He needs to be producing offense in order to be good at defence and since he wasn't producing points he ended up forcing plays and making mental mistakes. In other words I still think he's the player that scored 12 goals in 32 games last season. The reality is though his value is at an all-time low and I worry about selling low on him. If he's the player we trade, we better hope he lights it up when play resumes (although that could be evidence to keep him). I agree with everything you said about Brodin and I certainly don't want to trade him, but if he can land us a good young center then it's worth considering.

A Cirelli offer sheet really would be the perfect outcome. We'd keep Brodin and Dumba, land a talented young center, and with two first round picks this year with the PIT pick possibly turning into a first next year we can absolutely afford the compensation it would take to offer sheet him.

I think we all agree that an offer sheet for Cirelli is the best option. However, Guerin seems to me to be (or wants to be) a member of the Old Boys Club of NHL general managers and i don’t think he has the seeds to do it...so IF the Wild are to acquire Cirelli, i think a trade will have to be worked out.

I posted this question in forums, but I’ll ask it here too: Kaprizov for Cirelli? Would you do it?

I voted for offer sheet because I'm hopeful but I really am starting to think Guerin is going to stand pat and secure a low level Center instead of a top 6. Each offer to gain a 1C or 2C seems to cripple us in one way or another. He might wait until he sees how this draft goes and how the develop over the next year. Will Khovanov be ready soon? Is Kappo a legit starting Goalie? Is whoever we draft next year superstar products? I think he'll wait one more year to see where the youngsters are at so he has a better idea of who's expendable and who's part of the core. Just a gut feeling.

I'll leave this up to everyone else. I'm undecided. I really want Kaprizov but Cirelli truly looks like a 1C and I believe is perfect for our system. I'd be happy with either a rejection or approval on that trade scenario.

I saw this idea floated in a different forum. I think any time you can trade an unproven asset for a a good player such as Cirelli I think you have to at least consider it, but if Kaprizov ends up becoming who we think he can be then it could be a bad trade in hindsight. I'd rather try to move our pick for Cirelli or Pittsburgh's pick and another asset, but that might not be what Tampa is looking for

Here’s another way to analyze it: How many wings exist that you wouldn’t trade for a really, really good #2 center?

To me, I'd like to keep Kaprizov and Fiala off limits. Boldy, Beckman, etc. are all available via trade if it means bringing back that 1C/2C that we need

I agree you have to at least consider it, but given what this fan base has gone through with Kaprizov, I really can't see the team trading him for pretty much anything until he at least plays a season for the Wild.

Guerin was on KFAN this morning and Russo asked him if he'd love a "big right shot center" to play with Fiala and Kaprizov and he admitted (paraphrasing) that we have too many left shot guys and that a right shot c is sort of like a lefty closer in baseball (implying it's an asset every team covets). He also said they will address plenty of issues this offseason, so I think it's safe to say he'll be active.

Hopefully he can swing a deal. Vilardi interests me a ton with LA winning a lottery pick

If we trade for Vilardi, what do you think a trade would look like?

Tough to say, really. I think the Kings could use a guy like Brodin to play with Doughty, their left side is not looking very good and while they do have some decent LD prospects none of them project to be a top liner. It's worth noting that I think after winning the 2nd overall pick they are pretty close to being contenders again. Kopitar and Doughty are still fantastic players and most of their younger players are nearly NHL ready. Maybe the feel it's too early to make a move for an extended Brodin, but I think that would be a good starting point at least.

Yep. Not even really much to think about for me.


As for the poll question: Nothing. I don't think an OS is something Guerin will do. I don't see a top-6C on the trade market.

Cirelli is the only interesting name being thrown around on CF, and maybe a trade can worked out, but the Wild and TB don't lineup well as partners.

If the trade to consider is this one, they line up perfectly! TB needs cap space and the Wild need a top 6 center.