Overview
- Michael Russo cautioned that the Wild are unlikely to match the kind of asset haul Toronto would demand for Auston Matthews, pointing to December’s Quinn Hughes blockbuster as the template.
- Matthews is reported to have suffered a season-ending knee injury and has a full no-movement clause, with two years remaining on his contract after this season.
- Speculative alternatives raised for Minnesota include Brady Tkachuk, Robert Thomas, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes, though each has trade protection and no sign of willingness to move; Thomas said he wasn’t asked to waive his clause.
- Russo suggested Bill Guerin preserved trade chips at the deadline with an eye on summer opportunities in a thin free-agent market, but asset limits remain a major hurdle.
- Toronto’s signing of Artur Akhtyamov gives the club four NHL-contracted goalies, and Sportsnet’s Luke Fox expects one of Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, or Dennis Hildeby to be dealt to avoid waiver risk.