Minnesota
Minnesota Wild 2026 trade deadline report card: Grading Bill Guerin’s moves
The Athletic has live coverage of the NHL trade deadline.
Movement since Dec. 12
In: Quinn Hughes, Michael McCarron, Bobby Brink, Jeff Petry, Robby Fabbri, Nick Foligno
Out: Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, Liam Ogren, David Jiricek, Vinnie Hinostroza, 2026 first-round pick, 2026 seventh-round pick, 2028 second-round pick
Grade: A+
The Wild’s heavy lifting was done with their mid-December blockbuster for Quinn Hughes, who has absolutely been a game-changer for the franchise.
President of hockey operations and general manager Bill Guerin paid a hefty price — most notably dealing Marco Rossi and top prospect Zeev Buium — but Hughes has changed everything for Minnesota, from their breakouts and offensive generation to how they’re seen around the league: as legitimate Cup contenders.
With Hughes’ puck-moving prowess, plus two play-driving wingers in Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, there was less pressure on the Wild to go out and get a No. 1 center — at least, for now. The Wild tried, of course, pursuing the likes of Vincent Trocheck, Robert Thomas and Ryan O’Reilly.
But with the price points too high, Guerin elected to punt until the summer, saving his precious few trade chips to potentially land a bigger fish. Meanwhile, he added depth to make the roster thicker.
The Wild basically overhauled their bottom six.
Michael McCarron brings size, snarl and strong faceoff ability to the fourth line and the penalty kill. Think of what kind of force a fourth line of Marcus Foligno, McCarron and Yakov Trenin could be in a playoff series. Bobby Brink brings speed and skill to the middle six, plus he fits Minnesota’s defensive identity and forecheck. He’s a third-line right winger who could move up the lineup.
Robby Fabbri is a four-time 15-goal scorer who is open to any role and whose experience can help in the room.
Foligno, the former Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks captain, is another potential fourth-liner/depth piece who may not play much, but Chicago is doing the veteran a solid to give him a chance to chase the Cup with his brother, Marcus. Nick Foligno has played center all year, so that gives the coaching staff options.
Up front, these additions mean the Wild won’t have to dip into AHL Iowa for the likes of Ben Jones or Tyler Pitlick if injuries arise.
Jeff Petry (for a seventh-round pick) is an experienced, right-shot defenseman who is OK being a seventh or eighth defenseman. He’ll help in case Jared Spurgeon, Brock Faber or Zach Bogosian gets hurt, and is someone they’re more comfortable with than the options they have in Iowa, including David Spacek. The move makes more sense now that the Wild have dealt David Jiricek to the Philadelphia Flyers for Brink.
The Wild didn’t make any flashy moves at the deadline — the Hughes addition brought plenty of that — meaning Guerin and company still have useful assets they can parlay into a bigger move this offseason.
This is still a really good team and a Cup contender. Guerin showed some patience here, and time will tell whether the Wild reward his faith. — Joe Smith
What they’re saying
Brink’s former USA Under-18 coach John Wroblewski: “With Brink, I feel you get an underrated competitor who has untapped potential as an offensive catalyst. He has a unique way of finding quiet ice and then consistent handles and deliveries of the puck, whether shooting or passing. He reminds me of a young Sam Reinhart in the way he plays the game, and I think this is a great get. That he’s a Minnesota native and great kid are added bonuses.”
Marcus Foligno on playing with brother Nick: “Just crazy. It’s a crazy moment in our family, and just to know you’re going to play with your brother is a dream come true. I’ve got the shakes going right now. He wants to be a part of this group and to play with me, obviously. He feels kind of invested in this group for a while now. He just wants to help out any way he can. And hopefully, it’s a long ride.”
Blues coach Jim Montgomery on the addition of Hughes: “He’s such a dynamic player and now he gives them three dynamic players. To me, Kaprizov and Boldy are extremely dynamic, and they have support players with those three. I mean, it’s a really good hockey team. They’re playing a great brand of hockey. They’re hard to defend, and (Hughes) just makes them even harder.”
Nashville coach Andrew Brunette on how Hughes changes the Wild: “They were a really good team without him. And obviously, he’s a game-changer. He’s arguably the best — one of the best — guys back there. He probably changes the whole flow of the game for them. He plays 30 minutes for them. The way he breaks the puck out is as good as there is in our league. They were a really good team, and now they’re arguably a top two or three team in the league.”
Marcus Foligno on McCarron: “He’s always been a guy with the Predators who has done a really good job against our top lines, especially in Nashville. We always seemed to have been having tough games because he takes on a lot of minutes against guys like Kaprizov and (Joel Eriksson Ek), where he can counter pretty well against them. So to have him on our team now is great. I always liked the way he protected pucks. He’s responsible; rarely gets caught cheating the game. So to have that reliable guy that’s up the middle as well, big faceoff scenarios, it’ll help us out so much more now. It will be fun to play with him once I’m back.”
Guerin on Fabbri: “He’s a competitive guy. He’s always had speed. He’s a high-character kid. When I spoke to (Blues general manager) Doug Armstrong about him, he raved about his character and what type of person he is. I think he just needs a real good opportunity to play, and he’s been through a lot in his career, and he keeps fighting through, and he’s established himself as a solid NHL player. Sometimes it’s a change of scenery that can rejuvenate you or get you going again. I think a lot of times guys just need a different opportunity.”
What it means for the team’s lineup
There are two versions of this: the Wild lineup immediately after the deadline, and the one that includes injured players Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson. That will give a clearer picture of how the deadline adds fit.
At this point, the lineup looks like:
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Tarasenko-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Trenin-Yurov-Brink
N. Foligno-Sturm-McCarron
Extra: Fabbri
Injured: M. Foligno, Johansson
Hughes-Faber
Brodin-Spurgeon
Middleton-Bogosian
Hunt-Petry
Gustavsson
Wallstedt
But for the playoffs, assuming a return to health, it could look like:
Kaprizov-Hartman-Zuccarello
Johansson-Eriksson Ek-Boldy
Tarasenko-Yurov-Brink
M. Foligno-McCarron-Trenin
Extras: Sturm, N. Foligno, Fabbri
Hughes-Faber
Brodin-Spurgeon
Middleton-Bogosian
Hunt-Petry
Gustavsson
Wallstedt
Trade grades
The trade: Wild get defenseman Quinn Hughes. Canucks get forward Marco Rossi, forward Liam Öhgren, defenseman Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round draft pick.
Corey Pronman’s Wild grade: B-
Shayna Goldman’s Wild grade: A
Dom Luszczyszyn’s Wild grade: A
The trade: Wild get center Michael McCarron. Predators get a 2028 second-round draft pick.
Harman Dayal’s Wild grade: C+
The trade: Wild get forward Bobby Brink. Flyers get defenseman David Jiricek.
Corey Pronman’s Wild grade: B+
Harman Dayal’s Wild grade: B+
The trade: Wild get forward Nick Foligno. Blackhawks get future considerations.
James Mirtle’s Wild grade: B
Sean Gentile’s Wild grade: B-
Speculation is brewing about Minnesota Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf possibly preparing to put the franchise up for sale, though reader beware, it seems like wild conjecture.
The buzz has roots in St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter Charley Walters’ Saturday column.
Why does he think the Wilfs could be on the verge of selling? He appears to be connecting dots, noticing how Minnesota reduced its player spending from $350 million in the 2025 offseason to $226 million so far this offseason.
It is significant to go from spending more money on the roster than any other team to the second-lowest one year later, but there are logical reasons for it that don’t point to a sale. More on that in a moment, but Walters suspects the Wilfs could get $8 or $9 billion for the Vikings, which is just a sliver more than the $600 million they bought the team for in 2005.
Why the speculation doesn’t add up
Selling the team doesn’t make much sense when you stop and consider how hard the Vikings and Minnesota leaders are pushing to host the 2028 NFL Draft. Minnesota is reportedly the favorite to win the bid for the ’28 draft, which could provide an economic boom to the Vikings, Twin Cities, and entire state.
A more logical reason the Vikings have slashed payroll from 2025 to 2026 is that they whiffed on their aggressive move to win a Super Bowl. They were all-in last year, but quarterback J.J. McCarthy didn’t live up to lofty expectations as a first-year starter, and the offensive collapse was too much to overcome. They had to hit the reset button.
Cutting big-money players like defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, who are in the later stages of their careers, allowed the Vikings to draft Caleb Banks and Domonique Orange in the first and third rounds of the draft, respectively. They got younger, more athletic, and cheaper on the interior defensive line.
Another reason to second-guess reporting about a sale is that the Vikings just picked up wide receiver Jordan Addison’s fifth-year option that’ll pay him $18 million 2025. That’s an indicator that they want to re-sign him, and that could cost them upwards of $30 million annually.
That’s far from a cost-cutting move, and it could very well be the reason why the Vikings traded edge rusher Jonathan Greenard instead of giving him a new contract. The NFL has a salary cap, and the Vikings were pressed up against it after last year’s spending spree. Giving Greenard a more lucrative extension would’ve made the salary cap situation even more difficult in 2027 and beyond. If they believe 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner replace Greenard, then the move makes sense.
Minnesota also has to be prepared to pay Kyler Murray a big-money quarterback contract. He’s playing for the league minimum of $1.3 million in 2026, but if he succeeds and the Vikings want to re-sign him, then it’s going to be expensive.
Everything the Vikings have done looks to be aimed at getting younger and cheaper ahead of a potentially expensive 2027 offseason. The cost-cutting moves aren’t anywhere close to the fire sale and payroll slashing the Minnesota Twins owners did last year before they put the team up for sale and then abruptly changed their minds when their price wasn’t met.
The Wilfs have been committed to building a championship team for 21 years, and there’s really nothing to indicate they’re considering a sale beyond wild guesswork.
Maybe Walters knows something everyone else doesn’t, but his latest writings seem to be connecting dots more than reporting facts. Consider that Walters, when he has inside info, is known for using the phrase “a little birdie says.” Although he used it while talking about the Twins later in this column, he didn’t when talking about the Wilfs and selling the team.
Move forward with caution. There’s no hard evidence to support the notion that a sale is coming.
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On a pristine Saturday afternoon, there was a Blackhawk helicopter flyover, and American flags were everywhere.
“It was hard today in some ways,” Scott Torpey said quietly. “But it was also a joyous occasion that we got to bring him home.”
At the New Ulm City Cemetery, it was a long-awaited homecoming as U.S. Army Captain Willibald Bianchi — ‘Uncle Bill’ to his family — was laid to rest with full military honors.
“You know, the sense of closure,” says Steve Marti, one of Bianchi’s nephews. “Who would have thought, after all these years, we get the call that guess what? They’ve identified his remains.”
Bianchi, 29 years old, previously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, was killed on a POW transport ship when it was bombed and sunk by an American plane in January 1945.
His remains were buried in a mass grave in a military cemetery in Hawaii.
For decades, Bianchi’s family didn’t know if he would ever be formally identified.
“He was lost to the war,” explains Joseph Marti, another nephew. “He was Uncle Bill, who left and never came back.”
Until a phone call last September: the Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency had painstakingly searched through remains in the cemetery and used family DNA samples for a match.
“My cousin Scott, my Aunt Mary Louise, his sister and another cousin donated DNA, and they used that to use some of his bones to extract mitochondrial DNA and get the match,” Joseph Marti explains.
After a dignified transfer at MSP, Bianchi’s remains were brought to New Ulm.
Dozens and dozens of people from across the country — brothers, sisters and cousins attended the burial ceremony.
The American flag on Bianchi’s coffin was given to his family.
“They gave it to my sister Sue, who was so deserving,” Steve Marti says. “She’s done so much to keep Uncle Bill’s legacy alive in our home, here in her home.”
For years, family members had passed down Bianchi’s story.
Now, they say, it has an ending befitting his service, and after an 80-year journey, Bianchi is now at honored rest.
His family says their hearts, once empty, are now full.
“So, to have him back home, I think, is so special for everybody associated,” Joseph Marti exclaims. “We’re overwhelmed and humbled.”
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