If you are a Minnesota Wild fan, brace yourself. The latest rumblings from Michael Russo at The Athletic suggest that GM Bill Guerin is finally ready to take a massive swing, and it involves the one prospect we thought was untouchable: Jesper Wallstedt.
The rumor is massive. The Wild are reportedly open to moving Wallstedt, their 23-year-old stud netminder, in a package to acquire a legitimate first-line center. The primary target? St. Louis Blues playmaker Robert Thomas.
Wallstedt has been nothing short of spectacular this season. Pairing with Filip Gustavsson to form one of the league’s elite tandems, he leads all rookie goalies with a 2.72 GAA and a .914 save percentage. He is the future. But with Gustavsson locked up through the 2030-31 season, Wallstedt has suddenly become the Wild’s most valuable—and perhaps expendable—trade chip.
The proposed cost is steep: Wallstedt, a 2027 first-round pick, and Ryan Hartman to St. Louis for Robert Thomas. It hurts to read, but it might be exactly what this team needs.
Why Sacrificing Jesper Wallstedt Could Save the Wild’s Championship Window
Let’s look at this with an objective, expert lens. We all love “The Great Wall” of St. Paul. Wallstedt is technically sound, calm, and has franchise goalie written all over him. However, goaltending is notoriously volatile. Filip Gustavsson has proven he can carry the load, and his contract extension signals that management trusts him.
The Wild’s glaring weakness isn’t in the crease; it’s down the middle. Kirill Kaprizov is in his prime right now. Matt Boldy is dominating. But without a true, elite playmaking center to distribute the puck, the Wild arguably have a ceiling in the brutal Central Division.
Robert Thomas is that guy. He is a passing wizard who drives possession and makes everyone around him better. Putting Thomas between Kaprizov and Zuccarello, or pairing him with Boldy, creates a two-headed monster that opposing defenses can’t match.
Blues GM Doug Armstrong wants a “top prospect, first-round pick, and NHL player.” The proposed package of Wallstedt (top prospect), the 2027 1st, and Hartman (roster player/salary offset) fits the bill perfectly. It’s an intra-division trade, which is rare, but both teams are in different phases. The Blues are retooling; the Wild are trying to win before their veteran core ages out.
My personal take? Do it. It is terrifying to trade a goalie as good as Wallstedt within your own division. You risk him haunting you for a decade in a Blues jersey. But you don’t win Stanley Cups by playing it safe. You win them by acquiring elite centers. If Bill Guerin waits until the offseason, the price might go up, or Thomas might go elsewhere. If the deal is there now, or even at the deadline, you pull the trigger.
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