Kevin Fiala trade rumors taking off, can the Wild get a top-10 pick?
According to The Athletic's Lisa Dillman, NHL executives believe the New Jersey Devils are the frontrunner to trade for Minnesota Wild forward Kevin Fiala.
Dillman's report comes via her mailbag column where a reader asked if the Los Angeles Kings could be a landing spot for Fiala. While Dillman didn't dismiss the idea of Fiala being traded to L.A., she mentioned the Devils as the most logical landing spot.
"Most everybody I talk to believes the front runner in the Fiala sweepstakes is New Jersey, for two reasons," Dillman wrote. "One, Fiala looks as if he could be a good fit alongside fellow Swiss player Nico Hischier, a core piece going forward for the Devils. Two, the Devils have the necessary cap space to give Fiala the raise that he’ll need in order to forego free agency and sign a long-term extension. They also have the draft capital/young players needed to make a deal happen."
According to Spotrac, the Devils have $20 million in cap space heading into the offseason. They also own the second overall pick in this year's draft in addition to top prospects Alexander Holtz, who was the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and Dawson Mercer, who tallied 42 points (17 G, 25 A) for the Devils last season.
That fits in line with what Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote May 25, saying the Wild's asking price for Fiala should "start with a first-round pick or equivalent prospect as the central piece in any package."
But how much would the Devils need to give up for Fiala, who scored a career-high 85 points (33 G, 52 A) last season? According to The Hockey Writers, the Wild "should" get more for Fiala than the New York Rangers got for Pavel Buchnevich last offseason.
The Blues gave up a second-round pick and Sammy Blais (a middling forward) for Buchnevich. So first-round pick or equivalent or bust? That could be the case.
In addition to the 24th overall pick in the first round, Minnesota already has two second-round picks in the upcoming July draft. They got a their second second-rounder via a compensatory selection because they did not sign 2018 first-round pick Filip Johansson
Rumors like this should jump-start a busy summer for the Wild, who are looking to build off their first-round exit in the playoffs.
