The Minnesota Wild could be getting a veteran defenseman back soon, as Greg Pateryn has been assigned to the Iowa Wild on a conditioning assignment. The 29-year old had bilateral core muscle repair at the beginning of October and hasn’t played at all this season.
Though he may not be able to save the Wild season—even a three-game winning streak still has them sitting sixth in the Central Division—Pateryn is an interesting name to keep an eye on. The right-handed defenseman has been known to be able to shut down top scorers when he’s healthy and playing his best, and comes with a low cap hit of just $2.25MM for this and next season.
Obviously there’s no guarantee that Pateryn is moved, but if new Wild GM Bill Guerin is looking to refresh the organization with young assets he could be an intriguing trade chip. Michael Russo of The Athletic noted earlier today that head coach Bruce Boudreau had told reporters that Pateryn sustained a setback recently, so there is no telling exactly when he’ll be ready to return to the NHL.