Do you think Bill Guerin is motivated to make new moves before the March 6th NHL trade deadline?

Without a doubt, yes.

The Minnesota Wild’s president of hockey operations and general manager likes to be aggressive. I like bold movements. And Guerin said: The Athletic He said that with Quinn Hughes’ blockbuster hit in mid-December, the series was in “win-now mode more than ever.”

But Guerin also knows he has limited high-level trade chips left in his holster after giving away another first-round pick and top young players Jeev Bouium, Marco Rossi and Liam Ogren in the Hughes deal.

Charlie Stramell and Jesper Wallstedt are also possibilities if the deal is right. However, you can only trade those players once.

What if it makes more sense for the Wild to act big in the summer?

“That’s a really good question because probably the biggest thing that goes through my mind all the time is ‘patience, patience, patience,'” Guerin said. Latest “Fellowship of the Link” Podcast. “And if it doesn’t happen now, maybe it wasn’t meant to. Something bigger could happen in the summer. We’ve been patient. You wouldn’t think a player like Quinn Hughes would be available, but look at how early in the season he became available.

“So in order to be patient, you have to look back at what’s been going on. I’ve always said, ‘Don’t take surprises.’ I’m not always true to myself about that, but I try to do that. We’re really weighing the pros and cons.”

New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck is one player who would be a good fit for the Wild. There are other centers and forwards on the market, and the Wild are considering their options.

“We would like to add a forward at some point if it makes sense,” Guerin said. “If we can do that. Adding a center is always talked about within the team. Of course we want to have a center. I think 32 teams want to have a center. If we can’t do that, we might pivot to a wing. But when we do that, everything has to really make sense.”

“You know me. I like to be aggressive. But I like to try to be smart. It’s not always easy for me. But I have really smart people around me and people who aren’t afraid to tell me ‘no’ or ‘don’t do this’ or ‘you can try this.’ I have great support to help me make decisions.”

The key question for the Wild is what are they willing to give up? Their cupboard isn’t empty, but their prospect pool doesn’t have many high-end players left as trade chips. Wallstedt is one of the players who could be moved on a suitable contract, with Filip Gustafsson contracted until 2030-31 and likely to be a top-level forward.

When asked if there are any untouchables, Guerin replied:

“I don’t believe that,” Guerin said. “I always look back and say, ‘Hey, Wayne Gretzky was traded. Wayne played for four teams. Mark Messier was traded. He played for three teams. Eric Lindros. (Steve) Yzerman, (Joe) Sakic. A lot of great players have played for one team, but sometimes you have to be patient. No one is untouchable, but you always have to think about who you really are.

“What Quinn did for our team and our market doesn’t mean other players (in his league) aren’t good players or will be great players. They may be, but they’re not right now.”

Guerin’s focus will shift to the Milan Olympics, as a roster freeze is set for Wednesday through February 22nd at 2pm Central Time. He plans to head there this week to see if the team he built can take home the gold medal. As Team USA’s GM, he knows not everyone is happy with the roster.

What was the most difficult thing?

“I think we’re going to take some players out, guys that probably deserve better,” Guerin said. “But we have to build the team. We have to play our part. We have to do all of those things. I understand that people don’t want to see it, understand it or buy into it, and that’s fine. But I have to make difficult decisions, and you’ll see some of the players who didn’t make the team – Jason Robertson, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, three world-class players. They could have easily made it into the team – but I had to make a different decision. That was the hardest part. ”

The players Guerin may receive the most criticism for hiring are Rangers forwards Trocheck and JT Miller, who have spent years off with a struggling team. But Guerin said it’s about more than that, including their strengths and their role on the team.

“I’m a big believer in the body of work and I’m a big believer in the role those players can play,” Guerin said. “They’re elite offensive players, but they’re also elite penalty killers, faceoff players. They can do so many things. They’re so versatile. And that was one of the things I really had to focus on.”

Versatility helped Jackson Lacombe become the next man on the blueline when Seth Jones had to be replaced with an injury.

“He plays the power play. He scores a ton of penalties,” Guerin said. “He’s a great skater, he’s big. He can play left or right. If we start having injury problems, who can go where? If we have a guy who can play multiple positions and do all those things, that’s good enough.”