Judd's Hockey Show - A Minnesota Wild Podcast
Will Minnesota Wild trade Jesper Wallstedt to acquire top line center?
22 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Hockey. My favorite. It's Judd's Hockey Show. And welcome into Judd's Hockey Show. It's Judd, it's AJ on this Thursday, and this is going to be a one-topic Judd's Hockey Show, but AJ and I both decided it was worth a discussion. We didn't get to it earlier this week, and this edition of Judd's Hockey Show brought to you by Victory Tire and Auto. You know what?
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So the athletic and a couple of different stories, I think co-penned or at least one co-penned by Joe Smith and Michael Russo, who do a really good job covering the team. And then the other one might've been a Russo's solo story.
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Chapter 2: Why is Jesper Wallstedt considered a trade asset for the Wild?
This is how we've gotten into trouble before because we're like, no, I will not make that trade. And, but then we're like, I can't believe you got bounced in the first round of the playoff. Yeah.
What I will say is if there is a center that you're going to move Jesper Wallsted for, the short and it's a short list in my opinion, but Robert Thomas probably cracks that list. Like if it's, if it's Vinnie Trochek, Vincent Trochek, I say, no, I, I like Vincent Trochek, but not for the price of yes. For Wallstead, Robert Thomas is 26. He's in his prime right now.
He is, he is on IR, but he's expected back after a week, but he is a player that right now has 33 points on a, in my opinion, abysmal St. Louis blues team.
Yeah.
Playing on that top line with a Kirill Kaprizov, with either a Matt Zuccarello, maybe a Matt Boldy, if you really wanted to go top-heavy there, that line would be, I think, transformative for the Wilds' offense. It would probably require you, for cap reasons, to move on from a Ryan Hartman, but that's where... that's where I think Jesper Wallstead's trade value does carry it.
Um, maybe the other super, super short list in my mind is, uh, 87 Sidney Crosby, uh, just because he is still playing at an elite level. It's less term, much older guy, but that is a, that's, that's a different animal. And I think people can understand that.
Um, but Robert Thomas, Sidney Crosby might be, and that's a very weird, weird, like combo for you to say, because two very different things, but, uh,
different situations for sure i do think too when you think about let's be cutthroat here you can only play one goalie in the playoffs granted it's not it would be nice to have a backup plan but also one if you spin zone it it's nice to take that temptation of You look at what you look at Dallas stars. I think it was last year.
They yanked Jake Ottinger, you know, after whatever, two or three goals. And it's like, you have that temptation of going away from the guy that, you know, should be a net to the backup. Not that I don't, I think yes, for Wallace, it's a much more capable backup in this situation. It's a one, a one B, but there's no, there's no tinkering there.
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Chapter 3: What are the implications of trading Jesper Wallstedt for a top line center?
maybe given some time he could step up Riley Heights in the system. We just talked about him with Chris Peters yesterday. He's still adjusting to that AHL game. I'm not writing him off quite yet. Charlie stramble showing a lot of a lot of development. And I think there's a quote, Joe Smith had an article that came out this morning and the quote was like, he's ready.
He's ready to go help a team win. I want, I didn't read the full article yet, but I believe that was a coach or somewhere, someone around Michigan state. Who's, you know, praising him and complimenting his game. So maybe he is ready to take that next step.
Um, two point two, there is a center that right now really struggles in the face off dot makes me think Jesse is closer and closer to getting right at some point, which don't tell her. I said that, um, that they might move them to the wing. And then it's like, okay, you're going to hold onto this center that potentially is going to be a winger down the road.
Who knows if they really get frustrated at that point. Um,
then i've just seen how comfortable and how good the wild look when they have this rotation of goaltenders where i would hate to break it up and just test the waters where this is this is what we're hoping for because let's let's say they go over to sweden or excuse me they go over to milan and sweden leads the uh leads uh is let out on the ice by philip gustafson something awful happens there you make a move before the olympics
Well, what are you going to do? Are you, who's the backup that you're, is it?
Yeah, I think this would be a deadline deal. I don't think this would get done before the, the Olympic trade freeze. I think we're talking about, I do think that there is a sincere concern among the contenders about waiting until after the Olympics are done. Cause there's going to be some star players who come back hurt. No question about it.
Who of the two would you trade? Boy, if you were allowed to, to alter the deal and you keep one or the other, I'm, I'm keeping a Wallstead.
I would probably trade Volstead. I'd probably trade him. I've got Gustafson signed. I feel like you can find, and I like Volstead for sure. I'm a fan, but I feel like you can find goaltenders. If you're Robin proves in the face up circle, I love his game. Like he plays a really mature game for a young man right now.
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