Phil Kessel reportedly shut down a potential trade to the Wild, one that would have sent Jason Zucker to the Penguins. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on the veto and some interesting subplots; The Athletic reported on it as well, including the parameters of a particular deal: Kessel and Jack Johnson for Zucker and Victor Rask.
Everything about this looks bad for the Wild with one exception: the end result, where the trade didn't happen.
First, it doesn't look good that Kessel wouldn't agree to the deal. Sure, he has that power since the Wild reportedly isn't on his list of eight teams he would agree to be traded to, but those lists are malleable.
If the conventional thinking was that Kessel's local connections — playing for the Gophers and being tight with Ryan Suter — would sway him, the state of the Wild appears to have trumped that. If you were a 31-year-old goal scorer used to winning Stanley Cups, is this really the team you would want to join? Probably not, which doesn't look good for the Wild.
Second, the Wild has been VERY close to trading Zucker twice now — once to Calgary at last year's deadline and now this.
It's no secret Minnesota has been trying to move Zucker before his 10-team no-trade list kicks takes effect in July. And if the Wild really is still able to deal Zucker before then for fair value, those two publicized swings and misses won't really matter.
But this is pretty awkward for now — and will become even more awkward if the Wild doesn't find a suitable trade partner for Zucker and decides to keep him.
Third, what exactly is the plan here? I'm fine with the idea of trading Zucker if you're not sold on his long-term production compared to his long-term contract (four more years, cap hit of $5.5 million per year).
