The Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers must decide if they'll use Jesper Wallstedt and Owen Tippett as trade chips, while a surplus of forwards could force the Los Angeles Kings to move Warren Foegele.
The Minnesota Wild's acquisition of superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes in December raised an expectation that GM Bill Guerin could have another big move up his sleeve.
Acquiring a scoring forward, preferably a center, is believed to be Guerin's priority. It's rumored that New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck could be on his radar.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic raised eyebrows last month when they suggested Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt could be used as trade bait to acquire a scoring forward. The 23-year-old leads all rookie netminders this season with a 2.72 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage and four shutouts.
In a recent mailbag segment, Russo and Smith believe it would take Wallstedt to land a scoring center because the Wild have limited trade chips. The asking price will be high for Trocheck and for Robert Thomas of the St. Louis Blues. They cautioned against giving up Wallstedt in a package deal unless it's for a true No. 1 center.
Guerin is preaching patience in his search for a quality center. That could mean waiting until the off-season to find a suitable deal involving Wallstedt if one doesn't appear by March 6.
Speaking of teams that might not be done dealing, the Los Angeles Kings could have other moves in store following their acquisition of superstar left winger Artemi Panarin from the Rangers.
The Hockey News' Andre Leal noted that Kings GM Ken Holland mentioned his club now had a lot of forwards following the Panarin deal. Holland singled out Warren Foegele as someone who could become a trade chip to free up that glut of wingers on his roster.
That prompted David Staples of the Edmonton Journal to suggest the Oilers bring back Foegele, who spent three seasons with them from 2021-22 to 2023-24 before signing with the Kings.
Staples proposed shipping Andrew Mangiapane to the Kings for Foegele, noting that Mangiapane will earn $3.6 million through next season, while Foegele earns $3.5 million. However, the Kings aren't likely to take on the equally struggling Mangiapane unless the Oilers include a pick or prospect as a sweetener.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers are likely to become sellers after their tumble in the standings since early January.
William James of Philly Hockey Now dismissed a rumor suggesting the Flyers could trade Travis Konecny, citing his importance as a team leader and their long-term plans, as well as his full no-movement clause.
James didn't rule out the possibility of Owen Tippett becoming a trade candidate, citing the Flyers' surplus of wingers. He felt they would prefer not to move the 27-year-old Tippett, but he could be part of a trade package for a center.
Bobby Brink could also become a trade chip. He'll be an RFA with arbitration rights in July, and might have to make way for some of the promising wingers within their system.
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