Every year at this time of the NHL season, fans and analysts across the country try to figure out what it would cost to acquire a superstar player. Although it rarely happens, as teams are scared of making costly moves that don’t bring in the desired results, that doesn’t discourage some fans from thinking outside the box.
So, when Elliotte Freidman wondered if the Minnesota Wild could explore moving goalie Jesper Wallstedt for a top centre, the hosts at Judd’s Hockey Show put together a proposal. In exchange for Wallstedt, Ryan Hartman, Charlie Stramel, Aron Kiviharju, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2026 third-rounder, the Wild would acquire Tim Stutzle and James Reimer from the Ottawa Senators.
The trade was almost universally bashed online. Wild fans thought the team was giving up too much for one player, while Senators fans were flabbergasted as to why anyone would think Ottawa would entertain a trade for Stutzle in any capacity. It had all the markings of the worst mock trades around the deadline – an unrealistic trade target, an insultingly low cost for the home team, and complete ignorance of another team’s situation. Simply put, it was a bad deal.
But, to give the Judd’s Hockey Show hosts the benefit of the doubt, there is some logic to their approach. So, what would it take to acquire Stutzle? Some recent history should give us a better idea of what the Senators would ask, and why they would hang up the phone immediately if his name were ever brought up in a trade call.
Why The Trade Doesn’t Work
As bad as it is, the trade admittedly has some logic to it. The Senators have performed far below expectations this season, especially on the goaltending front. Linus Ullmark has been inconsistent at best, and backups Leevi Merilainen and Mads Sogaard have continued to show they aren’t ready for full-time NHL spots. Returning to the playoffs this season is growing increasingly unrealistic, and it might make more sense for the team to retool and add some assets to the dwindling prospect pool.
However, trading Stutzle is not the answer to any problem. The Senators spent years rebuilding and finally saw some positive results when the team made the playoffs in 2024-25. Yes, things haven’t gone as smoothly this season, but they are on track to be a contender again next season, especially with their core of Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, and Brady Tkachuk. Removing one of those sets the team back several years, and likely results in Tkachuk walking when his contract expires.
It also doesn’t make sense to acquire a goalie who would be stuck as a backup for the remainder of the season. No one is making excuses for his poor record and stat line, but they also aren’t trying to move him any time soon. When he arrived in Ottawa, he stabilized a crease that had been in turmoil for years. Some of that turmoil returned this season, and it’s derailed a lot of the progress the Senators made last season, but if he can get back on track, this team will be very difficult to beat.
Ullmark has always been honest with his performance; in the recent TSN interview, he said, “I have no issues with people thinking that I’m a bad goaltender or anything like that…I’m the first one to know when I’m not playing up to my own standards.” He spoke plainly about his “terrible showing” in the preseason and has continued to be up front with fans and colleagues about where he’s at. That’s earned him a lot of respect throughout the Senators organization, as well as the benefit of the doubt, which is why he’s currently making $8.25 million until 2028-29. That doesn’t leave any room for Wallstedt.
Related: Why the Ottawa Senators Should Be Calling About Jesper Wallstedt
Finally, there’s the paltry return the Senators were offered for their young star. Stutzle’s $8.35 million cap hit makes him one of the NHL’s most affordable first-line players, and with 55 points, Ottawa is currently paying just $152,000 per point. That’s a better bang for your buck than Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen, and Mitch Marner, and at 24 years old, he’s still getting better. Before his contract expires in 2030-31, he could have multiple 100-point campaigns, giving the Senators incredible value.
Meanwhile, prospects Stramel and Kiviharju don’t project to be more than really solid middle-of-the-lineup players, Hartman isn’t much more than a 35-point, gritty depth winger, and the draft picks won’t turn into anything until after the Senators’ playoff window is long shut. It may be a lot of pieces, but they really don’t add up to much when the return is Stutzle.
What Could a Stutzle Trade Look Like?
At this point, Stutzle is untouchable, but if we imagine that the Senators are entering the Trade Deadline looking to break up their core and retool, there is some recent history that can give us an idea of a potential return. Ironically, the best example is from the Wild after they paid up to acquire Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks.
In that deal, Minnesota sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick to acquire the superstar defenceman. Or, in other words, they gave Vancouver a future top-pairing defenceman, a 24-year-old top-six centre, and a hard-nosed top-nine winger, and (at this point of the season), all of whom were first-round picks. Another late first-round pick could realistically create most of a top-six line for Vancouver in the future.
The Wild arguably can’t afford another deal like that, but they could get close with a package of Matt Boldy, David Jiricek, and Danila Yurov, plus the two picks mentioned earlier. The Senators could use Wallstedt, but not if Stutzle is going the other way, hence the switch to Boldy, who not only helps to balance the salary cap but also gives Ottawa a potential top-four right-shot defenceman and a much-needed top-line winger.
However, the trade still isn’t great. Ottawa finally finds its top-line winger, but loses its top-line centre and is left with centre depth issues. Jiricek is also a huge gamble. He looked fantastic when he was drafted sixth overall in 2022, but he’s had a rocky adjustment to the NHL and still has zero points in 24 games this season. Yurov is an intriguing addition to the Senators, as he plays a physical, two-way game that fits well with the current lineup, but he’s still a few years away from making a significant impact. Finally, the lack of a 2026 first-round pick should be a dealbreaker for Ottawa, especially with their forfeited pick.
It’s not much better for Minnesota. Although they find a first-line centre, they further deplete their dwindling prospect pool and still have a logjam in their crease. It puts a lot of pressure on performing this season, because there aren’t a lot of pieces remaining to support the team if things don’t work out.
It goes to show that the cliche is true – it’s hard to make trades in the NHL. It’s why mock trades are so much fun and also get so much pushback. If a trade feels good for your team, it’s probably not realistic, and if it’s realistic, it’s probably not great for your team. There’s no world where the Senators trade away Stutzle to help other areas of their lineup – it would be a guaranteed loss for Ottawa. Yet it’s still interesting to imagine what a trade could look like. After all, even Wayne Gretzky was traded.
