Nope...

Too late.

I think 2 1sts and Fiala, Rask and Kahkonen is very steep for a guy that is still twisting in the wind on what to do with his disk problem

The main problem here is there's no young center going back to Buffalo. That's going to need to be in the package.

This is basically "Fiala, Khak and a 1st" for Eichel. Then "we need Rask off the books to make the cap hit work so here's another first as compensation for taking on his contract". That said, swap one of the firsts for a third and you might be getting close.

However, I don't think Buffalo would do it. The main centerpiece is Fiala. He is on a one year deal. They get one more year of RFA status (team control), then he is UFA (and pretty much guaranteed not to sign in BUF). My gut says BUF is going to want Rossi or Boldy in the deal. I don't think GMBG is willing to do that... Especially after seeing them play in the prospect showcase this last weekend.... They were far and away the best players on the ice.

Plus, I'd rather hold on to Fiala. A proven young scorer is worth as much as (or even more than) two first round picks because about half of them miss. And if the Wild are competitive, those picks are going to be mid-late firsts (which may as well be seconds). So yes, I'd rather part with picks than Fiala.

Something like Dumba, Rask, pick three (Beckman, Khavonov, O'Rourke, Hunt, Khakonen, 2022 first, 2023 second) could be a good starting point. Dumba is in there for cap reasons and to make room for Addison. The only "Rask upside" for BUF would be that he and Skinner would be on the same team again. They did well together in CAR. But I don't see BUF getting excited about that.

When all is said and done, the Wild need to trade "dollar for dollar" in terms of cap and it doesn't sound like BUF is willing to do that for a reasonable price. At least not yet.

Yeah, I was trying to avoid including either one, because I doubt Minnesota would want to. What do you think the chances would be of Buffalo agreeing to the same deal, but replacing the two 1sts with one of Boldy or Rossi, and a lower pick? That makes sense about Fiala, I think he's young enough that he'd be interesting, but at the same time it's hard to imagine someone wanting to stick around Buffalo if they have to waste a couple of their prime years in the process. Also for making the salary work, I find it hard to believe Goligoski would waive his NMC or that Minnesota would be willing to trade away Eriksson-Ek who could have a steal of a contract moving forward.

Also now that Kaprizov is signed there's definitely less reason for Minny to take on a risky deal, might be better to see where Rossi and Boldy go this year, and if they need to speed up the process, finding a team who wants to rebuild, but has a reasonable asking price. Maybe they could target rebuilding teams and add a player like Larkin or Schmaltz, target a UFA like Bergeron, or take a chance on someone like Kuznetsov. If certain teams falter this year, names like Giroux and Seguin could also become available. Basically, with the potential of Rossi and Boldy, it'd probably be better to wait, although if Buffalo's asking price dropped and they could trade Fiala, Boldy, and Rask for him, then I'd do that in a heartbeat.

Yes. This.

I really think it is their only option. It would be one thing if Minny's cap problem was only going to last a year or two. Maybe they could target some younger players on bridge deals and make some trades. Unfortunately, the crunch is going to last 4 years. There are not many decent young players on affordable deals with that much term remaining. This is one of the main reasons Dvorak would have been a nice addition. He has a reasonable cap hit through all 4 years of Minny cap-hell. But that is no longer an option so... yeah...

Give Rossi and Boldy a shot to make the team. Their ELDs are cap-friendly (see what I did there?) and hopefully they'd be willing to sign bridge deals. If not, they can use arbitration as a stalling tactic until their cap space comes back. Another guy I'd add to that list is Beckman. The kid is CONSTANLY shooting the puck. He looked good at Rookie camp and already has 3G in two NHL pre-season games. Then there's the two Russian centers in the system. The younger one (Khunstandidov sp?) is lighting it up in the KHL so far. Hopefully Khavonav gets back on track. Who knows.... Maybe the Wild already have what they need in the system... They should at least give the kids a chance to play so they can find out...

All of that aside, I would be "out" on Eichel until there is some sort of proof that he is healthy. If the Wild had the cap room for a #1 C, I'd target Zibanejad in free agency next year (if he doesn't extend in NY).