Wild Think Defense First when Their NHL Draft Turn Comes Around
Bill Guerin has traded away Minnesota’s first two picks for 2026, leaving the Wild to wait until the 89th selection unless they make a deal.
- On Friday, the Minnesota Wild remained quiet during the 2026 NHL Draft, continuing a strategy of prioritizing immediate roster upgrades over selecting young prospects.
- General Manager Bill Guerin has recently used first-round assets as investment capital to acquire star defenseman Quinn Hughes from Vancouver and center Michael McCarron from Nashville.
- The Wild previously traded a 2025 first-rounder to Columbus for defensive prospect David Jiricek, who was later moved to Philadelphia to acquire forward Bobby Brink.
- With middle-six forward Marcus Johansson departing and 23-goal scorer Vladimir Tarasenko entering free agency, Brink will likely play a larger role in Minnesota's offense next season.
- The franchise remains in a 'win-now' window, viewing assets that could prove valuable next spring as far more important than prospects that might pan out years later.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Wild think defense first when their NHL draft turn comes around
Hockey scouts will tell you that you can teach skating and shooting, but you cannot instill size. With that in mind, the Minnesota Wild used their first pick in the NHL draft on some blue line girth. After previously trading away their picks in the first two rounds, the Wild got a little impatient in Round 3, working a trade with the Los Angeles Kings to move up six spots. With the 83rd overall pick on Saturday morning, Minnesota selected defens…
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