Former Colorado Avalanche defenseman, who’s now an analyst, Erik Johnson has started a conversation around the league. In his hot take, he predicted that Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews could eventually land with the Minnesota Wild, given the present requirements of the team. 

“I think one of Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid will be on the Minnesota Wild in the next three years,” he linked two of the biggest hockey players while talking about Minnesota falling short in its No.1 center. “That’s my hot take. I think they’re going to find a way.” 

Johnson is a Stanley Cup-winning defenseman who is now a Hockey analyst. He was once a major part of the league with enough experience around it to understand how it works. So, he then proceeded to explain Minnesota’s roster issue to make sense of his prediction.

“They need a center," he said. "That’s Minnesota’s clear Achilles heel. They need a No. 1 center. I think Bill Guerin finds a way to get a Matthews or McDavid in Minnesota to push them over the edge.” 

Both McDavid and Matthews are among the biggest names in the league, but doubts still prevail about Minnesota landing them.

Matthews still has two seasons remaining on his four-year contract, which is about $53 million, while McDavid is entering a similar period. His new two-year extension is going to start next year.

Getting a superstar such as McDavid or Matthews would be difficult due to the high cost in a trade. But it may not come to that, since both are currently projected to reach free agency in 2028.

Wild’s Playoff Exit Highlights Major Need at Center

Minnesota’s general manager, Bill Guerin, has recently explained that he is willing to make aggressive moves when discussing the future roster plans.

“Nobody in this game is untouchable. Wayne Gretzky got traded. Anybody can get traded," he said.

Minnesota’s second-round exit brought up many roster issues, especially down the middle, once the injuries started affecting their play. Joel Eriksson Ek dealt with injury issues during the series, and the Wild struggled to replace the value he normally provides. 

The Colorado team beat Minnesota in the fifth game. They came back to win 4-3 in overtime. The Avalanche put a lot of pressure on Minnesota, with players like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Gabriel Landeskog, who made it hard for Minnesota to play.

In Game 5, Minnesota got ahead early, even though it could not keep up with Colorado. The Colorado Avalanche team picked up its pace and started shooting more goals. Nathan MacKinnon scored a goal in the game to tie it.

Then Brett Kulak scored the winning goal in overtime, which ended Minnesota's season.

Do you think Johnson’s ‘hot take' is unrealistic? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Aadhya Nalla

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar