Jesper Wallstedt would be available: An ideal target for the habs, but…

Marc-Olivier Cook
Jesper Wallstedt would be available: An ideal target for the habs, but…
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Jesper Wallstedt is 23 years old… and has enormous potential.

He's starting to prove himself in the National Hockey League: the goalie is having a good season with the Wild and we're seeing just how talented he is. His stats (2.66 average and .914 save percentage) are excellent and show that he has what it takes to have a successful career in the NHL.

But it could be somewhere other than Minnesota.

According to Elliotte Friedman(32 Thoughts podcast), the Wild could consider trading Wallstedt between now and the trade deadline.

Knowing this, it's natural to think of the Canadiens because the Montreal club has a problem in front of the net. But not so fast…

I don't see the Habs inviting themselves into the Wallstedt derby, and there's a specific reason: the Wild don't want to trade their young star for prospects or draft picks.

And then there's Jacob Fowler, who will be coming along at some point.

That said, Minnesota is actively looking for a guy who can score goals and play in the top-6. The Wild would like to get their hands on a #1 center to surround Kirill Kaprizov the right way, or a dynamic winger.

And the Habs have nothing to offer the Wild at this level. Nick Suzuki isn't going anywhere… and the same goes for Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Ivan Demidov.

No, the Wild won't be trading Jesper Wallstedt for Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, or Patrik Laine. Kent Hughes may be a good negotiator… but Bill Guerin isn't a cellar-dweller either—except when it's time to make decisions for Team USA in preparation for the Olympics. Hehe.

All kidding aside, there's sure to be interest in Wallstedt from all four corners of the National League, because we're talking about a young goaltender who has everything it takes to be one of the elite one day.

The Wild have the luxury of asking a lot for his services, and the Wild have the luxury of trading him because they're also counting on Filip Gustavsson, one of the NHL's best goalies.

Will he be traded by the trade deadline, though? To be continued…


Overtime

– Pooler alert.

– The problem may be bigger than we think.

– Seen likewise.

– He's going to be good.

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