The scary thing is I can totally see this exact deal happening and I hate it.

Chiarot is basically exactly what we need on the blue line but we should not be acquiring rentals

I'd be okay with McBain+4th or something, but not McBain+2nd. But I also would prefer to not get Chiarot and just move McBain for the pick. I agree we shouldn't be getting rentals. I would be okay with moving McBain+ for a middle pairing LD with some term though.

I Don't think Chiarot was ever linked there, but there was the link between MTL sending a 2nd for McBain

https://www.tsn.ca/NHL/video/insider-trading-talks-escalating-for-chiarot-leafs-showing-inter~2403005

They don't specifically link Chiarot to Minnesota but there is apparently a long list of teams interested, and if MTL is already after McBain, I can see it making some sense from the Wild POV to be interested in Chiarot. Just connecting a few dots here.

why not? it might be the only year you guys can afford it?

Our beat writer talks about it in his latest podcast. Chiarot talk is near the end, around 64:45. He mainly just talks about the price being a 1st and a prospect which the Wild feel is too steep

Because we aren't contenders with Chiarot. This team just doesn't have what it takes to win a cup and we'd be wasting assets by throwing them at a defenseman that ultimately won't matter. We're much better off gearing up for 3 years from now when the Parise/Suter dead money is practically gone, Rossi, Boldy, Addison, Wallstedt, and Lambos will be entering their primes, and Kaprizov will be in his prime and still under contract. The time is then, not now.

Any general ideas on that? I’ve been looking into that same concept myself, but am not finding a ton of candidates that excite me.

Not expecting a laundry list, just curious if you have a few players you’re loosely keeping tabs on.

Off the top of my head Skjei makes some sense, but his contract is probably too rich for us and he's not as physical as I'd like

habs take that 100%

No I haven't been at all. I can't think of any guys that have the term, are relatively cheap, and would be worth it to trade for.

Perhaps guys like Vince Dunn, Brian Dumoulin, Jake McCabe, Brendan Dillon, Matt Grzelcyk would all be potential options, but I'm not in love with any of them.

Ironically, Carson Soucy would be great right now. I also like Scandella still. But he's always been one of my favorite players in the league so I might be blinded by that.

McBain for Soucy?

Yeah agree on Soucy. Scandella I haven’t kept up with to speak intelligently on, and Dunn, McCabe, Dumo and Grz weren’t on my radar at all.

I had Gavrikov, Hague, Dillon and Zadorov on my list. Which, seems like the first 2 are unavailable, and the other 2 are mostly uninteresting.

Zadorov is a FA, but he would be a solid signing at ~4M or less if we could swing it.

I like Hague a lot but would be surprised if he's moved.

I am scared this will actually happen... Luckily it has not been widely reported that we would be interested

same here. It's the only thing that makes since if the talks are going on.