Minnesota Wild Rumors: Blue Jackets Defenseman On Team's Radar

The Minnesota Wild are currently battling it out for a wild card spot in the Western Conference, and they are expected to be buyers at the 2023 Trade Deadline because of it. Per CapFriendly, they currently have over $12 million of deadline cap space, so they are in a position to make multiple moves. According to The Fourth Period, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov is one player on their radar because of this.

A Gavrikov trade is set to occur shortly, as the Blue Jackets have been sitting him out for trade-related reasons. The pending unrestricted free agent is Columbus' top trade target, so they are hoping to land themselves a big return for the top-four defenseman. When noting that the Wild could use some serious help on their left side, it makes sense that Gavrikov is emerging as one of the biggest trade targets.

Gavrikov's defense-first style of play has allowed him to garner a solid reputation as a top-four, shutdown defenseman. In 52 games this season, the 27-year-old has three goals to go along with 10 points. We will need to wait and see if Minnesota lands him from here.