The Wild's trade deadline focus zeros in on center ice. General Manager Bill Guerin seeks crucial faceoff improvements for playoff contention.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — As the NHL Trade Deadline approaches, Bill Guerin didn’t tip his hand about specific targets. But he did identify a problem.
Right down the middle.
"Yeah, our faceoffs. Our center position is extremely important. I think, not in a generating offense area, I think more just the - we could do a top six, or we could do a bottom six. We could do either or. But I think our current guys have to be better in the faceoff circle no matter what. That has to change. But we can also, we can also look to getting somebody that could help us in that department, too."
That’s not speculation. That’s the general manager openly pointing to an area he believes must improve.
The Minnesota Wild (35-16-10) is in the thick of the playoff race, and Guerin made it clear he believes in his group. But belief does not mean complacency, especially when it comes to puck possession and situational execution.
When asked whether he preferred acquiring a rental or a player with term, Guerin again kept things open-ended.
"No real preference. We can handle either. Yeah, I mean, see what the scenarios are out there. Younger player with term, you gotta pay a little bit more. A guy that could be a rental, it may be a little bit cheaper. We’ll see. But just as long as the person will help."
In other words, this isn’t about making noise. It’s about making sense.
Faceoffs may not grab headlines the way a top-line winger would, but in tight playoff hockey, draws in the defensive zone and late-game situations can swing outcomes. Guerin emphasized that the solution isn’t automatically external, either.
"I think our current guys have to be better in the faceoff circle no matter what. That has to change."
The message is twofold.
Internal improvement is required, but the front office is also evaluating whether help is needed.
And while Guerin identified the middle of the ice as an area to potentially strengthen, he shut down the idea that the blue line requires attention even with Jonas Brodin still hurt.
"I'm okay with it. Yeah. I'm good."
So if the Wild do make a move before the deadline, don’t expect it to come from the back end.
Still, Guerin was careful to frame any potential addition within the larger picture of confidence in his team.
"I'm confident in this group. I really am. I think when we put it together and play our game and our style and we’re executing, I really believe in this group. I have a lot of confidence. Can we tweak certain things and get better in certain areas? Probably yeah. But again, we’re an extremely competitive team right now and I have a lot of confidence in this group."
And on Tuesday, Guerin made one thing clear: if the Wild are going to improve, it will likely start at center.
That is why New York Rangers' center Vincent Trocheck makes a lot of sense. Guerin and John Hynes had him on Team USA for the Olympics and Trocheck spent a lot of time going out there and winning important draws.
On Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues (22-29-9) with the goalie pulled, the Wild struggled to win a draw and even get possession of the puck. It starts in the faceoff dot and constantly losing draws led to an empty net goal by Robert Thomas which sealed the loss.
That being said, Trocheck is the Rangers' biggest asset right now. They will see how many teams would love him and the price will go up to acquire him. He is not a rental either.
Trocheck, 32, makes $5.6 million through the 2028-29 season. He has been one of the best faceoff winning centers in the league the last couple of years. And as a right-shot, that makes him even more intriguing.
There is a fine line though. Guerin would like to improve the team but it has to come at the right price. If the asking price is too high on players, or in this case one player, Guerin is more than comfortable doing nothing.
"If I have a chance to make the team better, I will. It’s just gotta make sense," he said. "Whatever the ask is, whatever we feel like is a good price for whatever we’re getting, we’ll do it. If it’s astronomical and doesn’t make sense, and could hurt something for us in the future or whatever, then we won’t. We’ve got to look at short term and long term every single time we’re doing something like this. But again, if we get a chance to improve the team, we will."
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
