Wild approach NHL draft with some needs and some resources but without a first-round pick

The most flexible offseason in years for the Wild does have one notable restriction, and that’s at the draft.

Not only do they not have a pick in the first round, which kicks off Friday before rounds 2-7 go Saturday, but the Wild hold only four choices overall, beginning with No. 52 in the second round.

“We still believe we’re going to hit on players, and that’s how we approached it all year,” said Judd Brackett, director of amateur scouting. “We want to make hay with what we have.”

Trades are why the Wild are lean on picks.

They sent their first-rounder to Columbus last November to acquire defenseman David Jiricek, who was drafted sixth overall in 2022. A year ago, the team included its third-round selection in the deal with Philadelphia that moved the Wild up in the draft to take defenseman Zeev Buium at 12. Their turns in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds were part of trades to bring in former Wild players John Klingberg and Ryan Reaves and current defenseman Zach Bogosian.

Actually, besides their second-rounder, only the Wild’s sixth-round spot (No. 180) is originally owned by the team; its choices in the fourth (121) and fifth (141) rounds are from other teams via trades.

The Wild made a franchise-low four picks in 2008 and 2016.

“There is not a feeling from our end that these are in any way wasted picks,” Brackett said. “These have value, and we’re excited to get to work. If it’s just Saturday, then it’s just Saturday.”

Despite their limited opportunity, the Wild prepared for the draft like they normally would.

There was less debate about the order near the top of their list since that vicinity likely won’t be relevant to them, but they have to be ready for the round in the event that Bill Guerin, president of hockey operations, adds a pick. The Wild finally have a substantial budget to operate with this summer since the most expensive years of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts are about to be done, leaving the Wild with almost $16 million in salary cap space to retool their roster.

But if they’re idle until No. 52, Brackett figures the Wild can realistically evaluate six or eight players who might be available.

“We’re still going through scenarios,” Brackett said. “But we’re obviously focused on the second round, which is tough. It’ll lead to some good discussion Friday night at the close of the draft. We’ll hang around and talk about which players are there, which ones we expected to still be there, and hopefully home in on a player that will be very helpful for the Minnesota Wild.”

These conferences will happen at Tria Rink in St. Paul.

In a break from tradition, the NHL opted for a decentralized format this year: While the top prospects will be in Los Angeles for the draft, teams will be huddled in their respective cities like they were in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.

“If we want to have some visuals, whether it’s watch video on a player, there’s still work that we can do that’s hard to do at the draft table,” Brackett explained. “When you’re at the draft table, you’re talking in code. You don’t want to use names, so in this scenario it makes it easier.”

This year’s draft class is led by Canadian defenseman Matthew Schaefer, the consensus first pick despite suffering a season-ending broken collarbone at the World Junior Championship last December.

Scoring center Michael Misa is projected second and probably will be the beginning of a march of forwards in a draft Brackett described as having good depth up the middle. Woodbury defenseman Logan Hensler is the top-rated Minnesotan and is expected to have his name called in the first round.

The New York Islanders won the first overall selection in the draft lottery, with San Jose and Chicago next in line in that order, and the suspense should start with the Blackhawks.

Mind you, with the Wild not scheduled to be on the clock until Day 2, the unpredictability will especially apply to them.

“We build the list the same way, with the same conviction and support,” Brackett said, “whether it be on a character assessment, whether it be the game reports all year, the discussion we have. So, we’ll be firm in our list, and really in this situation at 52 we have to let things sort of unfold in front of us and then act when the opportunity is there.”