New Jersey Devils: 5 Players To Consider From Minnesota Wild

The New Jersey Devils could look at some available players from the Wild.

The Minnesota Wild lost in disappointing fashion on Friday night, ending one of the wildest days in NHL history. Four teams were eliminated on the same day, and the one team that staved off elimination was the Toronto Maple Leafs, who had to score two goals in the final three minutes of the game just to send it to overtime. The night ended the same moment the season ended for the Minnesota Wild. They brought the game to overtime, but just 11 seconds into the extra frame, it was over.

Chris Tanev scored for the Vancouver Canucks to send the Wild home packing. It was a shocking end for the Wild, who now has to figure out what comes next. It appeared they were ready to start the rebuild this season. They traded Jason Zucker to the Penguins for future assets (and Alex Galchenyuk as a throw in). There were rumors an even bigger trade was in the works, but Zach Parise remains in Minnesota for now.

The Wild aren’t often a team that gets mentioned in possible trades with the Devils. It’s probably because a lot of their roster is on the older side, and they have mostly underachieved since they shocked the world by signing both Parise and Ryan Suter to matching $98 million contracts. Since July 4th, 2012, the Wild have two playoff series wins.

It seems like a rebuild is on the horizon, despite how the Wild have conducted themselves prior to this year’s trade deadline. They signed Mats Zuccarello to a five-year deal, and then less than a month later they fired general manager Paul Fenton. Clearly, there was a need for a different direction.

The Wild still made the field of 24 teams, and they could have two 1st-round picks in the top 20 this season, so the rebuild is on the way. However, some more moves could change their fortunes in the future, and the Devils can help.