NHL Rumors: Wild To Trade Big-Name Player This Offseason

According to Michael Russo, the Minnesota Wild will likely be forced to trade either Kevin Fiala or Matt Dumba this offseason. This is because the buyout penalties for Ryan Suter and Zach Parise jump up to just under $13 million for next season.

Fiala is a pending restricted free agent who will be demanding a raise from his current $5.1 million cap hit. He has earned the right to do, as he is having a career-best campaign. In 75 games, he has set new career-highs in goals (29), assists (44), and points (73). Needless to say, the Wild would love to keep him around. Yet, given their very limited cap space, they will have a lot of trouble doing so.

The Fiala situation is exactly why Dumba's name is once again being brought up in trade rumors. The veteran d-man has a $6 million cap hit until the end of the 2022-23 season. Thus, he is inching closer to UFA status, so the Wild could elect to move him if it helps them keep Fiala. Either way, however, it seems inevitable that they will be losing one of their good players.

Nevertheless, this should be an eventful offseason for the Wild. We will have to wait and see what general manager Bill Guerin decides to do during it.