Wild rumors: Minnesota linked to former 35-goal scorer who is becoming trade candidate

“Vegas has just $4.625 million in cap space, and all indications are that pending UFA Rasmus Andersson will re-sign, so the Golden Knights have to unload money. They’re going to try with Adin Hill (more on him below), but they also want to take a run at re-signing RFA Pavel Dorofeyev, which might cost them Hertl. He could draw interest from Minnesota, who we know needs another centre and wanted to take a run at Evgeni Malkin before he re-signed in Pittsburgh,” Kypreos wrote.

Hertl had another solid season, netting 24 goals and 58 total points while playing all 82 games. Previously, he netted 32 goals and 61 total points. With the Golden Knights looking to make more room, they might be open to a trade. Ultimately, Hertl has proven to be a good second-line center, and that is something the Wild crave.

Not having center depth was fatal for the Wild, as Joel Eriksson-Ek missed much of the Avalanche series. While they have Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, their lack of a center has cost them, especially in the faceoff circle. The Wild have searched for a top center for months now, and it seems to be their main focus.

With free agency days away, the Wild could go that route when looking for a new center. While the market for centers is not as great as other positions, there is some talent that could be appealing as the Wild attempts to build a team capable of making a Stanley Cup run.