Team: 2023-24 Minnesota Wild

Initial Creation Date: May 18, 2023

Published: May 18, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

NOTE: I'M WELL AWARE OF THE UNLIKELIHOOD THAT BOTH THE DRAFT AND THE OTHER TEAMS ARE LOOKING TO THE WILD TO FIX THEIR ISSUES! THIS IS PURE FANTASY!

Let's say the draft goes as follows:
1. [CHI] Bedard, C
2. [ANA] Fantilli, C
3. [CBJ] Carlsson, C
4. [SJS] Smith, C
5. [MTL] Benson, LW/C/RW
6. [ARZ -> MIN] Michkov, RW

For the sake of this thought experiment, indulge me while I give haphazard explanations on why teams 4 & 5 pass on Michkov and why ARZ would be willing to trade.
4. SJS owner does not want a long rebuild when he's paying ~40M on aging players / players in their prime. Instead, he opts for the good ole 'Merican boy.
5. MTL is in the second year of a 5 year rebuild; however, that can be expedited by acquiring Pierre-Luc Dubois. I'm also not seeing many Russians in their system, they tend to lean towards team canada. For that reason, they go with Benson.
6. ARZ is in a panic after losing the vote. As such, they receive a mandate from the NHL to cut their rebuild short so that the team will be competitive when/if the team moves. For that, they'd want a shutdown goalie and young, top-end talent that is NHL ready.

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