Could the Minnesota Wild land hometown forward Phil Kessel?

The Minnesota Wild enjoyed the best regular season in franchise history during 2021-22, winning 53 games and delivering hope to the fan base that they could go on an extended playoff run for the first time in 19 years.

However, a first round postseason loss to the St. Louis Blues ended those hopes, setting up an uncertain offseason that will require plenty of work from general manager Bill Guerin. 

 One of the top orders of business for Guerin is the status of forward Kevin Fiala, who played a major role in Minnesota's regular season success with 33 goals and 85 points. It almost seemed as though he seemed to acknowledge that his time with the Wild could have come to an end when he posted a picture of himself on social media celebrating a goal with the caption, “Thank you Minnesota,” followed by green heart.

He just completed one-year, $5.1-million deal, becoming a restricted free agent on July 13 with arbitration rights. And as it currently stands, the Wild have $75.1 million invested in 18 players for 2022-23. Oh, and there's also the matter of the $12.7 million in dead cap space thanks to the contract buyouts of Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. It stand as a very real possibility that they may not be able to afford to bring him back. 

So, how do the Wild replace that offense should he indeed depart? One possibility is none other than hometown forward Phil Kessel, according to The Hockey News. 

Take a look: 

 "The question now is if, at age 34, Kessel is looking to go to the highest bidder, or if he eschews the biggest payday to sign cheaply on a genuine Cup contender - like, say, the Florida Panthers, or even more intriguingly, his home state Minnesota, with the Wild.

The cap-strapped Wild may be forced to watch star winger Kevin Fiala depart as a UFA this summer, and Kessel could replace some of that lost offense on a high-value, $1-million per season deal. It would be a nice bookend to Kessel’s career, and perhaps his final shot at adding to his impressive resume."