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Defense Prospects A Plenty, And Draft Capital To Deal...

July 5, 2022, 6:44 PM ET [5 Comments]
Dan Wallace
Minnesota Wild Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Now that we know where Fiala went and what Guerin was able to get in return, let's look a little deeper into where the Wild are now.

Kevin Fiala is most certainly going to be missed, there is no question. He is a talented winger who can be an impact player, with an even higher scoring ceiling than we witnessed in 2022. His 85 point season was a testament to Fiala betting on himself and winning the 1-yr contract status that he settled on prior to his arbitration date last Summer.

After a slow start to the season Kevin kicked it up a notch and then when Matt Boldy arrived the duo of #22 and #12 were very difficult for Wild opponent's to contain. However the playoffs have been a different story for Fiala and ultimately his contract status made this move a necessity

We know Bill Guerin is working his plan and Fiala became a casualty of the plan moving forward. It is pretty clear that Guerin has bought into Matt Dumba first with the buyout last Summer to enable the Wild to protect #24, then the "A" on the sweater solidified his place on the Wild blueline even further.

Winning in the playoffs comes down to a lot of factors but having a strong defense corps is absolutely paramount to long term success in the Spring. Dumba is not easily replaced and when it came down to it the regular season points of Fiala lost out to the overall package of what Dumba brings to the table both on and off the ice.

So now the Wild have multiple first and second round picks in Thursday's draft. The prospect pool is pretty stacked especially with defensemen and now Brock Faber joins that group, led by Calen Addison. Carson Lambos, Daemon Hunt, Ryan O'Rourke, Jack Peart,and recent ELC signee, Simon Johansson are now joined by Faber in a logjam of defensive prospects. They cannot all make it onto the Wild roster so one must think that Guerin is going to move someone in this group at least and my guess still holds with Addison who is NHL ready for sure and will net a quality return.

Is Guerin going to package picks and a prospect to get the Wild a center?

It is obvious the Wild cannot go into this season without a top flight pivot. They managed to have successful regualr seasons in each of the last two years without a true center feeding Kirill Kaprizov and company but the first round exits are showing eactly why this cannot be the case moving forward.

Ryan Hartman had a terrific season and showed he can take on a far bigger responsibility offensively and Freddy Gaudreau is a dependable center in all three zones but both struggled when the bright lights of a playoff series came up.

There are some free agent targets on the market but with the Wild cap situation that will take some more maneuvering by Guerin. Not that he can't do that as we have seen he is in this to make the Wild a contender and he is willing to do what it takes to make that happen.

The goaltending situation is still quite a concern as well, with Guerin reportedly having talks with Marc-Andre Fleury's agent, according to the Athletic's, Michael Russo. If that situation can be sorted out prior to Thursday's draft it would certainly help clear up the Wild crease concern heading into next week's free agency period.

Cam Talbot was not at all happy at the conclusion of the Wild season, so if Fleury is brought back, what does that mean for Talbot who has a year remaining on a very reasonable contract?
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