ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Thanks so much for your hundreds of submissions for this first Wild mailbag of the season. There were so many good ones, we split it into two parts with the second mailbag scheduled to be published Tuesday.<\/p>\n
For now, enjoy Part 1 as the Wild improved to 6-1-1 in their past eight with a 3-2 overtime win Sunday night over the Vegas Golden Knights.<\/p>\n
Questions have been lightly edited for clarity and style.<\/p>\n
What three NHL forwards do you think should be on Bill Guerin\u2019s radar between now and the trade deadline? \u2013 Jim H<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d be interested in Alex Tuch, assuming his reported $12 million asking price comes down significantly and you knew he\u2019d re-sign. (The Wild have a great relationship with his agents, the Bartlett brothers and pops.) I\u2019d be all over Tage Thompson, but I\u2019m not convinced Buffalo would do that. Plus, remember, the Sabres weren\u2019t interested in the Wild\u2019s offers for Jack Eichel and JJ Peterka, so there may be no match.<\/p>\n I\u2019d go after Brayden Schenn, but he\u2019d have to waive to come here (though the Wild have a great relationship with his agent Ben Hankinson) and Doug Armstrong would want something the Wild may not be willing to give up. When Schenn was on the market at last year\u2019s trade deadline, it sounded like Armstrong wanted a first-round pick plus more. But Schenn could really help the Wild and he\u2019s only got two years left on his deal.<\/p>\n I\u2019d probably avoid Nazem Kadri just because he has four years left at $7 million per, at age 35. As for Artemi Panarin, if the Wild have interest, why give up any assets before the trade deadline if you can just sign him as a free agent? All I can tell you is Bill Guerin is scouring the market and trying to do something significant. But it\u2019s hard. There\u2019s been no significant trades in the NHL in months. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n You indicated that Jordan Kyrou could be a target for the Wild and others around the league given St Louis\u2019 struggle. What do you think is a realistic package for the Wild to give up? \u2013 Bill P.<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019d think they\u2019d have to get offense in return for Kyrou, so I\u2019m not even going to try to guess what the package would entail. Kyrou may frustrate St. Louis at times with his two-way game or lack of grit, but he\u2019s got 40-goal potential that few if any other Blues have. The Wild don\u2019t have high-end prospects with that potential that we can see right now and I don\u2019t think the Wild would love to give up a center like currently injured Marco Rossi for a winger \u2014 ironically, given the past offseason of trade chatter. So I\u2019m not sure they have what it would take. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n Any chance the Wild could land Bo Horvat? And what would the Wild have to give up? \u2013 Chase B.<\/strong><\/p>\n The Wild called on Horvat and Mathew Barzal in the offseason and were told neither was available then, so I can\u2019t imagine Horvat\u2019s available now that he has 12 goals and 23 points in 19 games and should be on Team Canada\u2019s Olympic radar. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n If the Wild add Artemi Panarin next year as everyone is expecting, does it even move the needle on this team becoming a true contender? \u2013 MR Steve S<\/strong><\/p>\n We don\u2019t think the Wild are an Artemi Panarin away from being a true contender. Maybe the Panarin from like five years ago. But Panarin\u2019s age (34) and desired cap hit (he\u2019s reportedly shown no interest in taking less than his current $11.6 million deal) should be some warning signs. Yes, Panarin can still score and when at his best, is an impact player. But it doesn\u2019t feel worth it at this stage. \u2013 Smith<\/p>\n How realistic would a \u2018Stammer\u2019 trade be? Not to add another aging vet, but I swear it could be a reset like when Eric Staal came.<\/strong> \u2013 Brandon F.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Wild have been canvassing the market for help scoring up front, and Steven Stamkos is one of the best goal scorers of this generation. The transition to Nashville from a playing standpoint has been tough for Stamkos<\/a>, but we understand he and his family do enjoy their life there, especially considering how entrenched they were in Tampa for so long. It\u2019s hard to imagine Stamkos moving his family again unless it\u2019s a special opportunity, like winning another Stanley Cup. For it to work in Minnesota, Stamkos would have to waive his no-move clause and the Predators would have to eat a chunk of his $8 million AAV. So it\u2019s hard to see it happening. \u2013 Smith<\/p>\n I can\u2019t see him waiving his no-move clause after already having the pleasure of being covered by Joe for years. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n Bill Guerin recently said that he is not afraid to make major changes to the roster. In your humble opinions, do you actually believe that he is willing to part ways with veterans who have been our \u201ccore\u201d that has topped out as perennial first-round exits? Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman to name a few. \u2013 Mister Pin K<\/strong><\/p>\n Of the names you mention, Foligno is the only player I\u2019d see him reluctant to move. Guerin gets calls about him all the time and that\u2019s the message he tells everyone, and it\u2019s not just because Foligno has a full no-move and controls his destiny. Guerin feels he\u2019s too important to the fabric of the locker room in terms of leadership, and when he\u2019s playing well, he has a huge impact on the ice from a toughness and defensive standpoint.<\/p>\n I do believe Guerin would trade Hartman and has actually been trying to ascertain his value around the league. Hartman does have a 15-team no-trade that changes to 10 after July 1. I think Rossi\u2019s injury may slow that down because it\u2019d be hard to trade a center right now without getting one back. Personally, I do think the Wild would consider trading Spurgeon or Jonas Brodin if the return made sense. Spurgeon has a 10-team no-trade and I don\u2019t believe Brodin has protection anymore. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n What\u2019s the sentiment around last year\u2019s trade for David Jiricek? A pretty massive swing-and-miss? \u2013 Derek J.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to make a full judgment just one year later, but Jiricek\u2019s growing pains have to be at least a little concerning. We get why the Wild took a swing considering how rare right-shot defensemen with that size and offensive skill are. The team has drafted in the top 10 just once in the last nine years, so this was a chance to recoup a top prospect. We should give Jiricek a little more time and perhaps some seasoning in AHL Iowa when Zach Bogosian is back. Skating is not an issue for Jiricek \u2014 it\u2019s more of his decision-making\/hockey sense. Even in some of Jiricek\u2019s best games, there\u2019s a frustrating mistake or penalty. The good news out of this trade, though, is the Wild got Daemon Hunt back by claiming him off waivers and he appears to be a player. \u2013 Smith<\/p>\n Has Charlie Stramel improved to such a degree that we could see him in St. Paul this spring? \u2013 Michael J.<\/strong><\/p>\n I cannot imagine. I\u2019d think his contract would start next season and he\u2019d start with an amateur tryout in Iowa. But he is on the rise. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n Do you think young players, like the Sharks\u2019 Collin Graf, have a strong bias against \u201cBecoming Wild\u201d because of the way the Wild park young players behind veteran players? \u2013 Nic B.<\/strong><\/p>\n Not necessarily a strong bias, but we do feel free agents like that go to places where they see a quicker path to an NHL career. The Wild were a runner-up to Graf, the former Quinnipiac star who signed with the San Jose Sharks (then scored the OT winner against Minnesota last week). It makes sense for younger players to pick a place where there\u2019s no logjam of veterans and prospects already in the mix, but there are many factors in their decision.<\/p>\n For another example, Minnesota was in on Western Michigan\u2019s Tim Washe during last year\u2019s Frozen Four. Washe\u2019s camp was complimentary of the Wild, but he signed with the Anaheim Ducks.\u00a0\u2013 Smith<\/p>\n What are your thoughts on how Marat Khusnutdinov is playing in Boston? I understand he\u2019s still not putting up major points and has been scratched, but it seems as if the Wild gave him up for nothing and he is relatively quickly thereafter playing useful minutes in Boston. Was it too early to deem him not a part of our future in any capacity, or were there other issues with him behind the scenes? \u2013 Andrew M.<\/strong><\/p>\n I don\u2019t think there were issues beyond the fact he needed a new contract and the Wild brass didn\u2019t see a top-six future (no history of scoring, and he has six points in 15 games this season playing largely next to David Pastrnak) but also didn\u2019t feel he contributed enough in the bottom six. But you\u2019re right, we mostly saw him in a fourth-line role and even though he was struggling on the penalty kill and the faceoff circle, trading somebody with that mush speed and so young seems premature. Especially when one considers they traded him for Justin Brazeau, a player with a history of scoring and not checking, yet put him in a miscast fourth-line role. Sure doesn\u2019t look like a good trade when Brazeau wasn\u2019t re-signed and the Wild gave Jakub Lauko back in the trade because he was chronically injured. <\/p>\n Still, there was no chance Khusnutdinov would be getting this type of opportunity in Minnesota. He is in Boston because the Bruins did a quasi fire-sale last season and opened up myriad lineup spots. Let\u2019s see where this goes. I like Khusnutdinov, but I\u2019d be surprised if he\u2019s a longtime first-line fixture in Boston. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n MARAT! pic.twitter.com\/JPI8fI2Pyy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) November 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n How likely is a Liam Ohgren trade? It seems that he has issues breaking through the figurative floor into the clubhouse or at least enough to stay. I don\u2019t want to be one to give up on him but it seems like he would be the main trade bait we have to acquire a player. \u2013 Preston C.<\/strong><\/p>\n Assuming Zeev Buium is untouchable, I\u2019d agree with you that he likely would be the one forward prospect asked about the most beyond Danila Yurov, Hunter Haight and Riley Heidt. Because of what I just said with Khusnutdinov, I\u2019d be hesitant to give him up unless it\u2019s for a no-brainer player, simply because of Ohgren\u2019s NHL shot and size. But at some point we have to start to see that at the NHL level. He had a disappointing camp and start to the season, there\u2019s no question about that. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n While it may be tough\/impossible to make good one-for-one \u2018hockey trades\u2019 with our vets, do you think it\u2019s time for the Wild to fully embrace the youth movement and have prospects cycle in and play ahead of vets? \u2013 Joe O.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As we wrote in a recent Wild insider,<\/a> it\u2019s not as simple as just \u2018play the kids.\u2019 The team is caught in the balance of being in \u2018win-now\u2019 mode, as Guerin put it. They haven\u2019t been able to stomach a rebuild, which is what the Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks, Mammoth have done. John Hynes has pressure on him to win, so he\u2019s going to play the guys he trusts the most. And frankly, not all of the Wild\u2019s prospects are ready. We do think Buium should get three-on-three overtime reps and Yurov can play up the lineup, but they entered Sunday in a 5-1-1 stretch with vets like Marcus Johansson playing well. Don\u2019t see them fully turning it over to Jiricek, Haight, Heidt, Ohgren, etc. \u2013 Smith<\/p>\n What would the Oilers give up for Filip Gustavsson at the deadline? \u2013 Sandybagger G.<\/strong><\/p>\n He has a full no-move clause after signing below market value at $6.8 million. He\u2019s not getting traded at the deadline. That said, had he not been signed, probably a ton considering the state of the Edmonton Oilers\u2019 goaltending. But it\u2019s not illegal to have two good goalies, and just because Jesper Wallstedt has outperformed Gustavsson in the first five weeks of the season doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019d want to trade him nor that they made a mistake. \u2013 Russo<\/p>\n Is there any way to incorporate more stories about Iowa? Also, what is going on with Iowa? I know GM Matt Hendricks mentioned he prioritizes development over winning. But how are players developing when they\u2019re constantly losing? \u2013 Brandon H.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n