Quoting: drmantalban
I have a crackpot theory that Eichel is gonna return to form and that Vegas will shop him during his last year (25-26), which is also Kaprizov's last year. It's also when the Suter/Parise buyouts drop off a cliff and the cap will be much higher.
I think he comes to MN as a rental for an all-in year.
The rumors were swirling that Guerin was in on him before, but the money and timing just didn't work out. I think 25-26 will be cup or bust, and could be another pivot point in the franchise - Guerin will be 5-6 years into the job, Kap may or may not re-up, Brackett era prospects should be hitting maturity. A lot of current storylines will be coming to fruition around then, and in my mind, would be a fitting little twist to the Guerin era.
edit - 25-26, not 24-25
I wouldn’t be against it but I think there will be better options than Eichel at that point. Matthews might walk from Toronto, Pasta might walk from Boston, Aho might walk from Carolina, Draisaitl might walk from Edmonton. I think the 24-25 season or 25-26 season is the time for Guerin to go big in free agency or the trade market to acquire an elite 1C or elite right handed winger. I actually think the 2025-2026 season will be the start of our cup window rather than a cup or bust year with guys like Wallstedt, Rossi, Boldy, Yurov, Faber, Lambos, Ohgren, Khusnutdinov, and others fully establishing themselves into the NHL. If you can add a player like Matthews, Aho, or Draisaitl to that core, they legitimately could be a wagon. And that’s not even mentioning the vets that will likely still be on the team like Brodin, EK, Spurgeon, and Hartman. If that isn’t enough to convince Kaprizov to re-sign, I don’t know what is.
Also, whoever our 2023 1st round draft pick is will hopefully be on the team by that time, which could be huge given how deep this upcoming draft is.