It's going to be hard for Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher to top the trade he's already made this season.
In dealing for Arizona Coyotes goalie Devan Dubnyk, Fletcher quite simply saved the Wild's season. Since Dubnyk was acquired for a third-round pick, he's gone 13-2-1 with a .936 save percentage while elevating the Wild back to a playoff spot.
We wouldn't blame Fletcher if he put his feet up on his desk on deadline day and called it quits after the success of that deal. In the competitive race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, though, every contribution will help, so don't expect Fletcher to stop trying to improve his team just yet.
Status: BUYER
Needs: Injuries have cut into the Wild's depth, particularly a regular-season-ending injury to the talented Jason Zucker, who was having a breakout season. Adding depth will be the focus for the Wild. Fletcher likely won't make a big splash before the deadline, but if he can shore up depth at both forward and on defense, he'll do it. Just how aggressive he is in addressing that depth will depend on the contributions of guys like Justin Fontaine, Jordan Schroeder and Matt Dumba.
According to Minneapolis Star Tribune writer Mike Russo, defenseman Jared Spurgeon is day-to-day with concussion symptoms. Over the weekend, Jonas Brodin took a shot to the jaw, a reminder of just how close the Wild could be to losing another defenseman.
Minnesota's answer on defense doesn't need to be a guy like Andrej Sekera, who is expected to fetch a big return if the Carolina Hurricanes deal him, although Sekera would be a nice fit. The more reasonable answer is someone who can come in and capably fill minutes in case of injury. The same goes at forward.
Finances: The salary cap won't be an issue for the Wild at the deadline, which gives them a nice advantage over other Western contenders like the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings. The Wild have over $6 million in cap space to work with.
Scouting the GM: Fletcher clearly is not afraid to pull the trigger on a big deal to help his team. At the 2013 trade deadline, the Wild sent prospects Johan Larsson and Matt Hackett -- plus a 2013 first-round pick and 2014 second-round pick -- to the Buffalo Sabres for Jason Pominville, who came in that season and scored nine points in 10 games after the deadline, then scored 30 goals for the Wild last season. During the playoffs last season, Pominville had nine points in 13 games.
Last year, the Wild acquired Matt Moulson from Buffalo in a deal that wasn't so beneficial. In return for two-second round picks, the Wild got a total of six regular-season goals and one more in the playoffs. The better move was adding goalie Ilya Bryzgalov for a fourth-round pick.
Fletcher has been active in dealing draft picks as the Wild have matured into a playoff team, but he still had eight picks in the 2014 draft, including first-rounder Alex Tuch. There's a balance to strike between winning now and keeping young players coming, and so far the Wild have done a nice job of it.