The Minnesota Wild's biggest need in the draft is a prospect who can play in the NHL right away. The pressure is on the Wild's front office as they hold the No. 13 pick in the 2024 draft pending next week's lottery. In order to retain Kirill Kaprizov, they will need to learn from the Las Vegas Golden Knights' winning strategy. For that, you need to do what it takes to replace the draft. The highest position the Wild could realistically trade for is No. 3 overall, which is currently owned by the Anaheim Ducks.
Anaheim is a good trade partner as they already have two first-round picks (No. 24) in this year's draft and have the flexibility to move up and down the draft board as they wish. The Wild are close enough to the top 10 to make a trade. The Ducks are rebuilding their depth and potential pool. They have the building blocks of Mason McTavish, Troy Terry, Trevor Zegras and Leo Carlson.
It's not easy to move up in the draft, especially getting into the top three. The Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks have the best odds of winning the lottery for Macklin Celebrini or Ivan Demidov. Celebrini and Demidov are expected to be the top two picks in this year's draft. If the board were to swing like that and the Wild were able to move up aggressively, who would be their ideal target?
Danila Yurov is expected to arrive in 2025-2026. Her fans are disappointed to hear that the next Russian phenomenon will not be joining Wilde next season. However, they will be looking at another center with star potential that will add to Minnesota's center depth. The Wild should target Caden Lindstrom of the WHL's Medicine Hat Tigers.
Lindstrom is a very safe pick as he is NHL ready, but has high-end skill with unpredictable speed. Minnesota wants to add size at center and could potentially acquire Marco Rossi to add size. Lindstrom is the opposite of Rossi. Although his draft year stats (27 goals, 46 points in 32 games) aren't as good as Rossi's, Lindstrom is dynamic and physical. Imagine if New York Rangers left winger Chris Kreider played center. And you can imagine what kind of player Lindstrom would be for the Wild.
The Wild need an impact player, and Lindstrom is currently showing potential to be a front-line player. Even better, he plays a mature, NHL-ready style, so his stock will continue to rise. William Douglas of NHL.com quoted Medicine Hat head coach Willie Desjardins saying of Lindstrom's game:
He is athletic, can shoot the puck, and has great speed. He can overpower men. He's tough to play against because he passes the puck like a pro.he [an even] better person. He can accept criticism. he laughs. He's excited to go to the rink. He knows where he wants to go and is driven towards his goals.
The Wild hoped Charlie Coyle, who stands at 6-foot-3, could use his size to be a game-breaker, but he was never a dynamic offensive player at center. His Lindstrom has a higher attack power ceiling than Coil. He has the potential to be a captain, and he leads by example with Brock Faber, who has proven to be an impact player and leader. Faber isn't a versatile offensive player, but he is an elite two-way defenseman. Lindstrom is likely to be an elite two-way center who could replace Joel Eriksson Ek as the driving force behind the middle-six.
If the Wild are looking to get bigger, faster and stronger, Lindstrom checks all the boxes. Lindstrom's breakout speed is impressive for his 6-foot-4 frame, allowing him to break free of defenders frequently. His skating style in the transition game is reminiscent of Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), and Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) Masu. Lindstrom can shake up defenders with his acceleration and top speed. He can pop out of nowhere, weave through defenders and get at the goaltender on his own.
Lindstrom could improve even further by working with Andy Ness, who helped Rossi transition to NHL speed. Considering he is a natural power forward, Lindstrom could take full advantage of Ness' experience to take his game to another level. Lindstrom playing with an NHL power forward should help him take the next step in his NHL debut. Lindstrom should be able to play in an NHL game even without a real game. As he gains experience, his game will unlock and give the Wild another power center.
Drafting Lindstrom increases the size of the Wild's middle. If Yurov (a 6-foot-1 center in Russia) can defend the midfield in the NHL, Minnesota could use Eriksson Ek, Yurov and Lindstrom to create three scoring lines. . Lindström will play a third-line role behind Yurov and Eriksson Ek, but is expected to provide secondary scoring like Eriksson Ek once was and will definitely get power-play time. I'm going to do it. Lindstrom won't face immediate pressure as a major contributor, but he could immediately provide Minnesota with much-needed depth.
The Wild's Stanley Cup window officially opens with Yurov's arrival in 2025-26. Kaprizov, Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy are the current top line for the Wild, and they should be able to complete the top six with a large, strong supporting cast that includes Lindstrom, Yurov, Liam Ogren, and more. Guerin wants to build Wild. With such support from a middle-six team, an aggressive trade up for Lindstrom would ensure that Kaprizov remains in a Minnesota Wild uniform for the foreseeable future.
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