Would the Minnesota Wild be interested in Auston Matthews? Do they have enough assets for any of the top available centers?
Sportsnet 590 The FAN: Michael Russo of The Athletic was asked if the Minnesota Wild would be interested in Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews if he were made available. Do they have the assets to acquire Matthews, or any other top-line center that might be available?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Bourne: “Yeah, yesterday on the show, we actually accused you of tampering.”
Russo: “Yeah, I’ve heard that. I’ve had a lot of fans excuse me of tampering.”
Sam McKee: “I appreciate you saying ‘we’. It was me.”
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Bourne: “We accuse you of tampering. The picture selected for the story was Austin Matthews. I think it is, by the way, we are very aware of the situation, and I think it’s fair to ask, are you hearing noise about Matthews, Minnesota?”
Russo: “Well, I mean, I wouldn’t say that I’m hearing noise, but I know Bill Guerin really well, and there’s no doubt that he would be in on that if Auston ever went to market.
Again, I just don’t know if the Wild would have the assets to get that done. Because I think any GM is going to look at the Quinn Hughes trade as sort of a template in a trade like that. And, and the Wild could not do another, you know, Liam Ohgren and Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi and a first. They just don’t have those assets anymore.
And I think if Auston Matthews suddenly became on the trade market, and I think there’ll be a lot of teams in it. But, but look, the Wild have been trying for 25, 26 years to get a number one center. They haven’t been able to.
We know what Bill Guerin thinks of Auston. So I think he’d just be if he it. Let’s put it this way, if he suddenly was on the trade block, the Wild would be on that. If Robert Thomas was suddenly on the trade block, the Wild would be on that. If Brady Tkachuk, who’s not a center, was suddenly on the trade block, you know, Billy would be on that.
They want to make one more big move. They clearly tried it at the deadline. It didn’t work. You know, Vincent Trocheck, obviously not at the ilk of that, but they tried to make that work.”
But, you know, I’m not trying to tamper for Bill Guerin.”
Nick Kypreos: “Whether it’s Auston or even Trocheck, who will, his name will come up again in the offseason. Like, do they have, can they even nibble around the edges, or did they just spend too much on Quinn Hughes to go back to back?”
Russo: “That the thing. Yeah. I mean, that’s the thing. And you know, like, that’s why I didn’t love the (Marat) Khusnutdinov trade, because at least, you know, then it’d be Khusnutdinov or Ohgren in the ,in the Quinn Hughes deal, and at least you’d have one of them this offseason to maybe move.
So, you know now they put themselves in a position where they’re going to have to probably offer around (Jesper) Wallstedt, (Daniil) Yurov. Obviously, they have Charlie Stramel, some other prospects as well.
But I don’t know if they have, like, I have just like, if maybe Trocheck, they would have a chance for. But I just have trouble buying that if Auston Matthews went to market, that the Wild would be able to, you know, unless Auston said, I’m only going to Minnesota, which, you know, I know Toronto fans don’t want to hear, you know, I just don’t see how, how the Wild have those assets.
NHL Rumors: Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs
But, you know, look, I mean, Bill Guerin is motivated this summer to do something significant. Clearly, he set the table on some things, and we’ll see if it happens. But I do have my doubts on, on just the number of prospects, not their desire, but just the prospects and the picks and the trade assets that they have right now to make those type of big moves.
You know, I have no doubt they went hard after Robert Thomas. I know they went hard after Vincent Trocheck. And so, we’ll see what they do this offseason.”
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