Wild Place Matt Kiersted On Waivers
Earlier this week, the Wild ran veteran Tyler Pitlick through waivers without sending him down, simply to restart his 10-game, 30-day exemption period. It appears they’re doing that once again as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Matt Kiersted is on waivers.
The 27-year-old is in his first season with Minnesota after signing a two-year, two-way contract (carrying a $775K AAV) with them on the second day of free agency last summer. A veteran of 41 NHL appearances heading into the season, the expectation was that he’d be a key piece in Iowa and a serviceable performer in a depth role if needed with the big club.
So far, things have largely played out that way. Kiersted has played in 23 games with Iowa this season and while his offensive numbers aren’t anything to get excited about with just three assists, he played a big role, especially defensively. That earned him a recall in the second week of December and he has been with Minnesota since then.
Playing time has been hard to come by since joining Minnesota as Kiersted has only played in four games so far. He has an assist and five blocked shots in those outings while picking up five blocked shots in 13:42 per night of ice time. While he hasn’t reached the 10-game mark, he has been up for 30 days, meaning his waiver exemption has expired.
Assuming that Kiersted passes through unclaimed for the second time this season (the other was in training camp), Minnesota can either keep him up in the reserve role he has been filling lately or return him to Iowa and open up some additional salary cap and roster flexibility.
Wild’s Joel Eriksson Ek Day-To-Day With Undisclosed Injury
The Minnesota Wild lost key centerman Joel Eriksson Ek to injury in Thursday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Eriksson Ek sustained the injury after getting tangled up with another player near his bench, but avoided the worst case scenario, head coach John Hynes told Sara McLellan of the Star Tribune. Eriksson Ek will be questionable for Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Minnesota will be noticeably shorthanded without Eriksson Ek in the lineup. His veteran, two-way presence has served as a pillar of the Wild’s center depth, allowing more offensively-inclined centers like Danila Yurov and Ryan Hartman a bit more room to play downhill. Eriksson Ek has offered that support while putting up strong scoring of his own – 11 goals and 32 points in 45 games, good for fourth on the team in total scoring. He is one of six Wild players to appear in every game so far this season, a streak that could change on Saturday night.
The Wild will need to push extra forward Tyler Pitlick into action if Eriksson Ek has to sit. Pitlick is back in the NHL this season after spending the entirety of the 2024-25 campaign with the AHL’s Providence Bruins. He has had a quiet showing in Minnesota, so far with only one goal and 24 penalty minutes in 23 games. Pitlick will fill a minimal, fourth-line role in the lineup while Marcus Foligno and Hartman earn a bump in minutes. Hartman has three points in his last five games and could bring a spark to the top-six in Eriksson Ek’s place. That is what the Wild will have to hope for as they look to snap a scoring funk. Three of Minnesota’s last five games have gone to overtime, with two ending in shootout losses.
Wild Activate Daemon Hunt, Assign David Jiricek
The Minnesota Wild announced earlier today that Daemon Hunt has been activated from injured reserve, while David Jiříček has been re-assigned to AHL Iowa in a corresponding transaction. Hunt is expected to return to the lineup tonight on the third pair alongside Jacob Middleton.
The defenseman has been out since mid-December due to an undisclosed injury. Claimed off waivers from Columbus in October, today’s transaction proves to be a bit ironic as Hunt was traded by Minnesota to Columbus in exchange for Jiříček last year alongside several draft picks.
Unable to make his mark as a Blue Jacket after the trade, Hunt quickly found his way back to the team that chose him in the third round of the 2020 draft. With two points in 12 games on the season, Hunt has some puck moving ability, untapped so far at the NHL level, but at age 23, he figures to be a steady third pair defender, still with just 25 games under his belt.
Jiříček, thought to have elite upside coming out of the 2022 draft, where he was selected sixth overall by Columbus, has been scoreless in 18 games with the Wild this season. Taking a swing on the Czech righty seemed to be worth a gamble, especially as Minnesota promptly snatched back the player they’d given up for him, but at some point Jiříček will need to show something to warrant a future in the NHL. A restricted free agent at season’s end, Jiříček’s play with Iowa has not inspired much confidence either, with 10 points in 40 games across the last two seasons. With offense hard to come by, the 6’4″ Jiříček has also struggled in his own end, ineffective even in smaller sheltered roles on Minnesota, a team with high ambitions.
Still just 22, the Wild are not necessarily in any rush with him, but as a contender with limited spots on their back end going into the future, Jiříček may be a name worth monitoring this spring in another deal.
For now, Hunt will rejoin the high flying Wild against Seattle tonight, while Jiříček will try to help the bottom-ranked Iowa Wild get on track, vying for another shot in the NHL.
Wild Place Tyler Pitlick On Waivers
The Wild have placed forward Tyler Pitlick on waivers, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Whether he’ll be assigned to AHL Iowa if he clears remains to be seen. The Wild have already waived Pitlick once this season solely with the intention of resetting his waiver-exempt clock rather than removing him from the roster.
Pitlick, 34, now has more than a decade of experience in the NHL. Once a journeyman bottom-six staple, he’d faded into press box/call-up territory in recent years but has found a bit more stability in Minnesota this season. He didn’t see NHL ice at all in 2024-25, spending most of the year on an AHL contract in the Bruins organization, before landing a two-way deal from the Wild last offseason.
The Minneapolis native peaked as a bottom-six player with some penalty-killing ability in the late 2010s, once recording a career-high 14 goals and 27 points with the Stars in 2017-18. Overall, he’s averaged 11 goals and 20 points per 82 games in his NHL career, but has just one goal in 23 games for the Wild this year.
Averaging 7:49 of ice time per game, he’s the Wild’s least-used forward and ranks near the bottom of the team with a 41.2% Corsi share at even strength. He does rank fourth on the club with 58 hits, at least bringing a physical element to Minnesota’s fourth line.
He’ll now be available for 31 other teams to grab, but after already clearing waivers once in-season, he’s a safe bet to remain in the organization. With Minnesota’s forward group at full health, he’s been a healthy scratch in nine straight and appears set for a press-box role for the foreseeable future.
Minnesota Wild Recall David Jiricek
According to a team announcement, the Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman David Jiříček from the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The Wild now have a full 23-man roster, with eight of them being defensemen.
Jiříček’s story in the NHL is well known at this point. The Wild acquired the former sixth overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft from the Columbus Blue Jackets last season for a 2025 first-round pick, 2027 second-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and defenseman Daemon Hunt, who has since re-joined the Wild.
Still, Jiříček, 22, has yet to break out in any meaningful way with Minnesota. He looked promising in his first professional season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, scoring six goals and 38 points in 55 games with a -11 rating. He hasn’t come close to achieving that level of performance again.
In fact, the way his tenure with the Wild has begun is similar to how his time with the Blue Jackets ended. Jiříček was frequently moved between the NHL and AHL lineup, failing to provide any continuity in the early stages of his development. He now finds himself in the same situation with the Wild.
During the 2025-26 season, Jiříček has played 18 games for Minnesota and 13 games for Iowa. He’s only scored with the latter, posting a goal and two assists with a -8 rating. His limited output in the NHL may be due to averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game when he plays.
There’s little indication he’s poised for an offensive breakout either. Throughout his tenure with the Wild, he’s only managed a 46.3% CorsiFor% at even strength, which is slightly worse than what he averaged with Columbus. However, his defensive play has improved, averaging a 94.3% on-ice SV% at even strength.
Regardless, given that the Wild are dealing with a few injuries on defense to Hunt and Zach Bogosian, Jiříček should find his way into the lineup for the time being. However, once one of them returns, he’s likely headed back for another extended stay with AHL Iowa.
Minnesota Wild Reassign David Jiricek
The Minnesota Wild have made a change to their defensive core ahead of tomorrow’s matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Wild announced that they’ve reassigned defenseman David Jiříček to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
It’s the third time the former sixth overall pick has been demoted this season. Jiříček, 22, has played in 18 games for the Wild this season in a depth role, going scoreless while averaging 12:08 of ice time per game. He’s fared somewhat better with AHL Iowa, scoring one goal and three points in 10 games with a -6 rating.
- The Winnipeg Jets are dealing with some injury concerns to a significant player from last night’s loss to the Wild. According to analyst Mitchell Clinton, defenseman Josh Morrissey is considered day-to-day after taking a high hit last night. The Jets’ next game is tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers, and Morrissey’s status for that contest is very much in question.
Wild Acquire Boris Katchouk
The Wild announced they’ve acquired left winger Boris Katchouk from the Lightning in exchange for fellow lefty Michael Milne. Both players were on minor-league assignments and will report to their new affiliates in AHL Iowa and Syracuse, respectively.
While the trade is a relatively routine one-for-one swap of minor-league forwards, there’s an unusual gap between where Katchouk and Milne are in their development. At 27, Katchouk is a higher-floor, lower-ceiling call-up option for a Minnesota squad that’s struggled to field a competitive farm team in Iowa for the past several seasons.
Katchouk was a second-round pick by Tampa back in 2016 and bounced around quite a bit before returning to the Bolts on a two-way deal last offseason. He was coming off a 21-goal, 49-point resurgence in 67 games for AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton while on a minor-league deal.
So far, those numbers haven’t carried over into Katchouk’s second stint in the Lightning organization. He’s been limited to four goals and 10 points in 21 games with Syracuse, tied only for 10th on the team in scoring.
Katchouk did get a brief recall earlier this season, making three appearances for Tampa in November, his first NHL action since 2023-24 with the Blackhawks and Senators. He posted zeros across the board, going 7-for-19 (36.8%) on faceoffs as the Bolts opted to deploy the natural winger down the middle.
The 6’2″, 212-lb Katchouk has 15 goals, 21 assists, 36 points, and a -23 rating in 179 career NHL appearances for Tampa, Chicago, and Ottawa. That’s 178 more than what Milne has. The 23-year-old was a third-round selection by Minnesota in 2022.
The Bolts thus net a potential higher-upside piece but one without the experience of slotting in as a bottom-six piece if needed, like Katchouk. Milne’s lone NHL game came last season on Nov. 16, 2024, against the Stars, recording three hits in 6:34 of ice time.
He didn’t get his season underway in Iowa until the beginning of November due to an undisclosed injury. Since returning, he’s managed five points and a -11 rating in 15 games.
A couple of years ago, it looked like the British Columbia native might be able to pan out as a bottom-six energy piece in Minnesota. A good skater with great endurance, he scored 21 points in just 40 games for Iowa in 2023-24 but hasn’t been able to recapture that offensive pace ever since.
The Lightning now take a flyer on him, parting ways with a familiar replacement piece to do so. There’s no impact on either team’s cap or roster situation since they were both in the minors at the time of the swap. Milne’s minor-league salary is $100K, and he’ll be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights at the end of the season. Katchouk is owed a $250K AHL salary with a $350K guarantee and will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
Wild, Flyers Reportedly Discussed Ryan Hartman In Trade Talks
Despite positioning themselves as buyers for the upcoming deadline season, the Minnesota Wild have reportedly looked to move a veteran off the roster to clear out additional cap space. According to a recent article from Anthony Di Marco of the Daily Faceoff, the Wild reportedly attempted to send Ryan Hartman to the Philadelphia Flyers before acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes.
If Minnesota wants to move out salary, Hartman is likely the easiest choice. Every other notable forward on the roster has no-movement protection in their contracts, whereas Hartman only has a 15-team no-trade list. Since the Wild reached out to Philadelphia first, it’s safe to assume that the Flyers aren’t on that list. He has some experience in Philadelphia, scoring two goals and six points in 19 games for the Flyers back in the 2018-19 season.
Aside from the mild trade protection, there’s no questioning why the Wild are looking to move out Hartman. Even when healthy, he hasn’t come close to the production he had in Minnesota from 2021 to 2024. Over the last two years, the 34-year-old veteran has scored 20 goals and 41 points in 103 games, which is less than he had during the 2023-24 season alone.
What Will Quinn Hughes’ Next Contract Look Like?
Now that the dust has settled on the Quinn Hughes trade to the Minnesota Wild and the superstar defenseman has settled into the Twin Cities, it’s fair to speculate about his future and whether it will include the Wild. Hughes is a little over 18 months away from becoming an unrestricted free agent. At a time when many superstars are taking the guaranteed money and staying put, it will be interesting to see whether he forgoes the free market for stability with the Wild. Hughes’ free agency case could be a landmark one, with so few players going to UFA and a salary cap soaring.
While the 27-year-old is a UFA on July 1, 2027, he can sign an extension in about six months. With the new CBA rules that cap the term at seven years instead of the previous eight, it could impact the term that Hughes will take. Does he lock in for the seven years early with his current team – or still eight if he signs before Sep. 15 – or will the allure of going to market convince him to accept a six-year term? The money will be there for Hughes either way, as will the term, but whether he wants to leave money on the table will be up to him.
In early October, Matt Sekeres and Blake Price discussed with Daily Faceoff’s Jeff Marek the potential for Hughes to become the NHL’s first $20MM player. Marek didn’t outright say he believed Hughes could become that player. Still, he did discuss the cascading effect of other players around the NHL coming to terms on lucrative deals, which will no doubt impact Hughes’ negotiations.
Many wondered if Connor McDavid could become the NHL’s first $20MM man, but he punted that opportunity and opted to remain in Edmonton at his current rate of $12.5MM. Hughes could make a similar move to McDavid and take a short-term deal at a discounted rate, but given that he was just traded, one has to think he won’t feel the same loyalty to the Wild that McDavid showed to the Oilers. Another wrinkle for Minnesota in getting Hughes to sign for a discount is that the Wild has already demonstrated they will pay a superstar’s market value to retain them, as they did with Kirill Kaprizov when they signed him to his massive record-setting extension earlier this year.
Given that the cascading effect is in play, there’s no greater impact than looking over at a talented teammate who got every cent they wanted and believing you should get it too. No one knows whether Hughes feels that way except himself, but with the allure of the free market and the temptation of playing with his brothers on a talented team in New Jersey, it’s hard to believe Hughes is going to leave money on the table to sign with the Wild.
That’s what makes the possibility of Hughes hitting a $20MM AAV all the more likely. The Wild gave up a ton to get the defenseman and aren’t going to let him walk for nothing. So, they have one of two choices: pay him what he wants or trade him after this season.
But who are Hughes’s comparables, and what kind of money is realistic on a long-term contract? The best comparable to Hughes is fellow defenseman Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche. Hughes and Makar have flipped the Norris Trophy in recent seasons as the league’s top defenseman. At this point, Makar is a step or two ahead of Hughes in terms of numbers and hardware. Makar has 470 points in 431 games, along with two Norris Trophies and a Calder Trophy, while Hughes has a single Norris Trophy and 435 points in 464 games. This also doesn’t factor in Makar’s Stanley Cup ring or his 4 Nations win this past year. Both men are slated to become free agents at the same time, which should make the parallel negotiations fascinating to watch. Outside of Makar and Hughes, there really is no comparable from a contract standpoint.
Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars is a possibility after signing a long-term extension two months ago. Still, he isn’t nearly the contributor Hughes is and was only a restricted free agent next summer. Harley does have youth on his side, as he is just 24, but he doesn’t have a resume close to Hughes’ and isn’t in the same stratosphere offensively with just 117 points in 223 career NHL games. Harley is still a terrific player, but his $10.587MM cap hit isn’t remotely close to the number Hughes should command.
Odds are, Makar will ink his deal first, as he is pretty comfortable in Colorado and they have the cap space to make him a top offer, which should eclipse Kaprizov’s $17MM AAV if he goes for full value. As Tyler Yaremchuk and Carter Hutton discussed on DFO Live back in October, the escalating cap is going to allow guys like Makar to call their shots on their next deals. Still, there is no way to gauge whether money will be the driving force for Makar, or for Hughes, for that matter.
While Makar and Hughes will be linked by their free agency timelines and play, the similarities taper off after that. Hughes has family dynamics at play and no personal connection to his team yet. Those dynamics will be primary considerations for both players and could change the money they are ultimately willing to play for. Makar has been part of a winning environment for quite some time, while Hughes has two brothers playing on the same team and a potential path to join them in New Jersey. Makar has better career numbers than Hughes, but as we saw with Connor McDavid, loyalty, fit, family, and friendship can shave millions off a player’s cap hit. In the case of Hughes and Makar, time will tell if that happens.
Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images.
Wild Activate Zach Bogosian, Reassign Ben Jones
The Minnesota Wild are nearing a completely healthy roster. Minnesota announced that they’ve activated veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian from the injured reserve and reassigned forward Ben Jones in a corresponding roster move.
Bogosian, 35, has the opportunity to play in his first contest since the middle of December. The 18-year veteran has been nursing a lower-body ailment since the Wild’s game against the Boston Bruins on December 14th.
Bogosian is in his third year with Minnesota after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning partway through the 2023-24 campaign. He’s been fairly limited in his usage throughout his time with the Wild, scoring eight goals and 32 points in 159 games while averaging 16:40 of ice time.
Becoming an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, there’s a legitimate chance that the 2025-26 campaign will be Bogosian’s last in the NHL. He’s still managing fairly high defensive metrics and would be useful to a few teams as a bottom-pairing right-handed shot. Still, his foot speed ranks below the 50th percentile according to NHL EDGE as ‘Father Time’ remains undefeated.
Regardless, Bogosian’s activation means the Wild have effectively ended some murky injury troubles. Only three days ago, Minnesota activated four players off the injured reserve, with Bogosian’s placement being one of the corresponding roster moves. Now, depth blue liner Daemon Hunt is the only one that remains.
Meanwhile, Jones returns to AHL Iowa without playing in any games for the Wild during his current recall. Still, he’s appeared in 20 games for Minnesota already this season, going scoreless with a -6 rating while averaging 8:41 of action.