What could David Jiricek bring to Minnesota? -Minnesota Wild

It's never too early in the season for trade rumors, and the Minnesota Wild rarely go through the first part of the season without activity. Since taking over as general manager, Bill Guerin has been proactive in repairing holes in his roster, trading for Ian Cole, Ryan Reaves and Zach Bogosian in the first two months of the season.

So where there are trade rumors, there is the Minnesota Wild, and it appears the Wild are circling around defenseman David Jiricek, who is the Columbus Blue Jackets. looking for trade. This isn't the first time the Wild are tied with the former No. 6 overall pick, but the smoke around the hot stove is finally warming up. National reporters want Frank Seravelliand local beat writers likeMichael Russosupport the idea that the Wild is on the rise.

Again, this isn't the first time this has happened been a buzz about this possibility. But that was then, and this is now. The Blue Jackets have since changed general managers and coaches, while someone like Kent Johnson has done so blossomed given a second chance, Jiricek has fallen out of favor with a second regime. He turns 21 on Thanksgiving, and for now he's as much a Cleveland Monster as he is a Columbus Blue Jacket. It's a bit young for this label, but the former top pick is officially a post-hype player.

So, what would Minnesota get in Jircek's current draft, and is the juice worth it?

Unsurprisingly, Jiricek doesn't have much NHL experience to speak of for a player whose team is rushing to be two years away from their draft. In his 53 career NHL games, the former top pick has cost Columbus 1.6 ranking points above replacement while struggling offensively and defensively at 5-on-5.

That's not to criticize Jiricek; it's hardly a crime not to be NHL ready in your age 19 season, as he was last year. The source of friction, however, is Jiricek's public displeasure with participation in the AHL. If Minnesota trades for him, they should be ready to keep him in the NHL because chances are he won't enjoy Des Moines much more than Cleveland.

To be fair, if Jiricek thinks he's too good for the AHL, he has a point. Through 86 games for Cleveland, he has 14 goals and 59 points as a defenseman. These are exceptional figures for a player of his age. He also thrived during the Calder Cup Playoffs, scoring three goals and 11 points in 14 games. Purely from a points perspective, Jiricek's trajectory is promising.

But as Dean Evason said The Athletics“We know his attacking side.” So what's the problem?

So far it's been his foot speed. The Athletics Scott Wieler wrote about him last season, saying, “He moves his feet well for his size, although I worry about his stilted backward skating and how often he gets caught flat-footed against the rush… He's a better skater when he moves forward then backwards.”

For example, ask Jonas Brodin and you will discover how important skating backwards is. But if you're the Wild, that's probably the source of optimism that Jiricek can be solved. Wild skating coach Andy Ness has a guru reputation and the successes that this shows in players like Marco Rossi. If Ness can work his magic on Jiricek, Minnesota would have a big, right-shot defenseman with quality offensive skills at its disposal, and that's something every team could use.

So the question becomes: what is (or would) the Wild be willing to give up for him?

There may have been a time when Jiricek's acquisition would have cost Rossi another former top pick. That is almost certainly not the case today. Whatever the Wild think about Rossi, he is a center with 17 points in 21 games. No team would trade that for an AHL defenseman who is clearly out of favor with their club. It might not even cost a (current) top prospect. TSN's Chris Johnston reported that the Jackets “will start listening” to draft pick compensation.

However, the Wild can help Columbus immediately or almost immediately, which is an advantage over a team like the Pittsburgh Penguins. Who's up for it?

It feels tough to think that Minnesota would part with their top prospects at forward, defense and goaltender, so Danila Yurov, Zeev Buium and Jesper Wallstedt would be out. When we get to that next level of prospects, we end up with Riley Heidt and Liam hgren.

Heidt is interesting as a potential center, but with Adam Fantilli and Cayden Lindstrom in Columbus' Under-21 pool, Heidt's destination would likely be the wing. If that's the case, the 6-foot-4 forward would have competition in the top short king wingers in the 6-foot-2 Gavin Brindley and the 6-foot-1 Jordan Dumais.

hgren probably makes the most sense in a one-for-one trade for a few reasons. First, teams like to save face in these types of prospect-for-prospect trades. Look at the Winnipeg Jets with Rutger McGroarty, who they are traded for Brayden Yager of the Pittsburgh Penguins – both players were forwards and ranked 14th overall. hgren wasn't a top-10 draft pick, but he has pedigree from the first round of the same draft. It's not the same value, but it's something.

The other reason Hgren could be attractive is that there is no one-for-one comparable to him in Columbus' system. The Jackets' wing prospects are either small or have major skating deficiencies. Hgren has neither problem, and his presence as a player who combines physicality and skill should appeal to someone like Dean Evason.

But perhaps Columbus would like a defenseman to replenish their stock. While there are no Jiriceks in Minnesota's system (assuming Buium is off the table), there are plenty of intriguing names. David Spacek is a right guard on a five-game losing streak with two goals and nine points in his second professional season. Daemon Hunt is widely considered NHL-ready. The drop in pedigree would likely mean a draft pick would have to come into play, but a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2025 seems like a reasonable case to sweeten the deal.

Jiricek has his caveats, but his skills make for a smart buy-low for a prospect of a caliber that is difficult to acquire. His physical stature would also provide strong balance for an emerging blueline that lacks raw power. If the Wild can pry him away for the right price,