He liked Bonino when he was with them back in 2016... definitely wouldn’t surprise me in the least

#GMJROUT

You want Rask too?

no way Cole comes back. None, zero. Sully chased him out the first time like a total moron. He's not coming back here to play.

With teams like PHI and COL looking for a 3C, I find it difficult to believe MIN would help PIT with this given them holding PIT 1st. I would counter McCann and 2 2nds for a Bonino retained and even then I don’t like it for the Wild.

I don't think MN will be selling off either Cole or Bonino at the TDL. They'll be sitting right at 4th in the West bubble so they won't be selling much of anything.

Why? So they can get smoked by COL or VGK in 4 games? It’s only a matter of time before those guys find the door.

No actually it's not dude. Guerin has made this clear dating back to last year. he isn't rebuilding, or selling. If wild are in it @ trade deadline, Bonino us staying. Cole isn't going anywhere either. Wild don't need McCann , 4c or 3c at best who wild already have too much of.

Wild can easily get high 2nd , or 1.

Also wild are trying to convince Kaprizov to sign long term, so they aren't selling

Also, wild have Vegas number. Vegas isn't that good of a team

Because anything can happen in the NHL Playoffs, this isn't the NBA.

As a GM you get there the years you can, because the next year isn't a guarantee. There is no guarantee that the GM will still be around in 3+ years to see the guys he drafted do anything if he keeps missing the Playoffs. Plus making the Playoffs looks better to the fans and the owner than some future 2nd round picks that statistically won't turn into anything.

MN's problem is lack of a 1C. That isn't going to magically fix itself next year. JEE and Bonino are fine as the middle-6 centers, the d-corps is among the best in the league, they have the wings if Kaprizov's start isn't a fluke and Fiala gets going, and Talbot just needs to be steady.

I like the idea of a Bonino/McCann base trade. But really McCann is just another guy that gets exposed in the expansion draft or ends up stuck in a full bottom-6 in MN. They already dumped Donato and Kunin who were in the same spot this offseason. They also re-signed Foligno for 3 more years.

Vegas is a good team. MN has had their number in the past couple of years, but this year it could be different. Just like MN has had COL's number in the Playoffs. It doesn't mean much this year.

The teams will play each other so many times throughout the season that we'll get a rough idea how a Playoff series will go, but it's which team finds another gear (or which finds it first) in the postseason that will end up winning a series.

I don’t disagree with most of your points, I’m just thinking about things from a longer term perspective. I think a year of making the playoffs at the expense of winning in the playoffs a couple years down the road is short sighted and bad practice.

I’d also ask you to tell me that the team you’ve seen in the first 4 games is a team that can win a playoff round. I understand that luck plays into the playoffs, but I don’t want to rest on luck if I’m making a playoff push. If you can tell me confidently the team as it sits can beat COL or VGK in a best of 7 on its own merits, then I cede your point. But if not, I’ll keep my perspective.

4 games in I can't say much about any team. There is a lot of bad hockey being played right now.

All I can say for MN is: I do think their d-corps/systems will keep them in most every game throughout the season. Outside of the JEE line the FWDs haven't found much chemistry together. Kaprizov looks as good as advertised. Talbot (shaky at times) is an upgrade from the goalies they had last year.

Also for consideration is if they'll let fans in for the Playoffs this year. Even getting a couple games at home will help the owner recoup a few million dollars on a season that will have been a complete money sink for him.