By Kalisha Turnipseed -
Building up size on the blue line has to be a priority for the Minnesota Wild. By continuing to build around Brock Faber, the Wild should create a protective blueline that allows Faber to dominate. They'll need to make multiple moves to support a top pair of Faber and Jonas Brodin and create a brick-wall bottom-four including Jake Middleton (6-foot-3, 219 lbs.), and Zach Bogosian (6-foot-3, 231 lbs.).
A piece that can help them build that bulky depth is New Jersey Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler (6-foot-2, 218 lbs.). The Wild should target him because the Devils are desperate for goaltending.
The Washington Capitals drafted Siegenthaler 57th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. But in April 2022, Washington traded him to the Devils for a conditional third-round pick. A month later, Siegenthaler signed a five-year, $17 million ($3.4 million AAV) extension. Siegenthaler will have a Modified No-Trade Clause (M-NTC) entering next season which lets him block moves to 10 teams.
Even with the M-NTC kicking in next season, he has a team-friendly contract. He can also play up to 20 minutes a night, which would allow the Wild to roll three active defensive pairs fairly evenly. Faber and Brodin at the top would complete Guerin’s new blueline as prospects develop for the Iowa Wild. And the ticket to this bigger blue line can be taking advantage of New Jersey's desperation in net.
The Devils needed goaltending so badly that they traded for Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen at the trade deadline. However, Allen has been a .900 goalie since arriving to New Jersey, and Kahkonen is a UFA this summer. The Devils may like a goaltender who's already signed and boasts a better track record. Meanwhile, the Wild have the flexibility to part with Filip Gustavsson. This would allow them to extend Marc-Andre Fleury to directly mentor Jesper Wallstedt, who could make the team next fall.
New Jersey could easily contend next year, and a change of scenery could be good for Gustavsson. The need on both sides is there. If Minnesota's not on Siegenthaler's no-trade list (or the Devils can convince him to waive his NTC), this could work. But if that does, will Minnesota need to convince Spurgeon (5-foot-9, 166 lbs.) to waive his M-NTC?
Spurgeon’s M-NTC (10-team no-trade list) starts this offseason, and adding Siegenthaler will make Spurgeon an expensive piece that conflicts with the vision of a bigger blue line. If Spurgeon would be amenable to playing in New Jersey, the Devils can use an addition in their top-four. Perhaps with help retaining salary, Guerin can make adding Siegenthaler into a bigger deal that gives him more flexibility this offseason.
The Devils have some big defenders outside of Siegenthaler: Dougie Hamilton (6-foot-6, 239 lbs.), Kevin Bahl (6-foot-6, 216 lbs.), Kurtis MacDermid (6-foot-5, 233 lbs.), Luke Hughes (6-foot-2, 184 lbs.), and Brendan Smith (6-foot-2, 200 lbs.). Having that size around would make New Jersey much better equipped to protect Spurgeon, who can still play 20-plus minutes a night.
The Devils have two third-round picks in this year’s draft and two second-round picks next year. The Wild can trade Spurgeon for New Jersey’s 2024 third-round pick and their 2025 second-round pick, with more coming if Minnesota has to retain salary. Guerin has his 2024 first-round pick, which he can use to draft forward depth.
It might seem like selling low, but making a move like this means that Guerin will have around $7.5 million of flexibility to work with and make more trades if he wants to move up or down in this year’s draft. On the ice, adding Siegenthaler helps head coach John Hynes monitor Brodin’s minutes so he can stay healthy.
That allows Faber, Middleton, Siegenthaler, and Bogosian to play penalty-killing minutes. It also maximizes Brodin, allowing him to play at a high level as he approaches his mid-30s. The Siegenthaler addition also helps if the Wild can’t afford to extend Middleton, giving them insurance to put Daemon Hunt on the third pairing. Minnesota could also move Middleton at next year's deadline if they have another poor season, so Guerin doesn't lose him for nothing.
Minnesota could figure out a way to keep Middleton, but Faber and Kaprizov need extensions, which should be Guerin’s priority. However, Middleton has shown why he deserves to be on a playoff team. Hunt has shown signs of being ready to take on a shutdown role, including the penalty kill. One year as a seventh defenseman won't be bad for him.
The Wild can be more comfortable heading into next season with a protective blue line that will take the burden off Faber and Brodin. While Faber continues to get power play minutes, he won't have to worry about playing too much at 5-on-5. Brodin gets to ease his minutes, allowing him to stay healthy. As for Fleury and Wallstedt, they will get a net-clearing blueline to boost their chances of success. With the Wild done building around Faber, they could be able to focus on building around Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy.
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