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Wild Acquire Gustav Nyquist From Predators

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After being scratched earlier in the day for trade-related reasons, it felt like only a matter of time before the Predators traded winger Gustav Nyquist.  That move has now happened as they have dealt him to the Wild in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.  Both sides have announced the swap.  As part of the move, Nashville is retaining half of his $3.185MM cap hit.  To make room on the roster, Minnesota has assigned Liam Ohgren to AHL Iowa, reports Michael Russo of The Athletic (Twitter link).

It’s the second time that Minnesota has acquired Nyquist in a move before the trade deadline after they picked him up from Columbus back in 2023 but at that time, the acquisition cost was only a fifth-round selection.  Meanwhile, it’s actually the third time that the 35-year-old has been a near-deadline pickup as back in 2019, Detroit moved him to San Jose for a pair of draft choices.

Nyquist signed a two-year deal with the Preds back in 2023 on the heels of a solid playoff showing with Minnesota that saw him pick up five assists in six postseason appearances.  Things couldn’t have gone much better for him last season as he wound up blowing past his previous career highs in assists and points, tallying 52 and 75 respectively in 81 games.  He followed that up with four points in their first-round exit to Vancouver in the playoffs.

With his 2023-24 performance and Nashville’s big spending spree over the summer, expectations were high for Nyquist heading into this season.  However, as has been the case for a lot of the Predators’ players, he has underachieved.  Through 57 games this season, he has just nine goals and 12 assists despite still logging 17:39 per game of ice time.

Minnesota finds itself in the bottom half of the league offensively with key injuries to players like Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek playing a part in that.  Nyquist should have an opportunity to jump into a middle-six role and at least deepen the lineup while ideally being able to provide them with a boost in their secondary scoring.  They’re paying a fairly high cost to get Nyquist at half price so they clearly expect that the change of scenery will help get him going again.

With the move, Nashville has now used its three salary retention slots with the others being on Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Johansen, whose grievance for his contract termination was held last week.  If that termination is upheld by Friday, the Predators could get that third slot back but it seems unlikely a ruling will come that quickly.  In the meantime, they now have eight picks in the first two rounds between the 2025 and 2026 drafts, positioning themselves well to add some young impactful talent to the cupboard relatively quickly.

Meanwhile, Minnesota now has roughly $6.6MM remaining in its LTIR pool, per PuckPedia (Twitter link).  That’s with Kaprizov in LTIR and Eriksson Ek on regular injured reserve.  Assuming both players return before the end of the season, the Wild will need to clear around $2.4MM in salary off their books to get back into cap compliance.  Accordingly, unless they know one of their veterans won’t be back until the playoffs start, the Wild will be hard-pressed to make any other additions without clearing out some money either beforehand or as part of that trade.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Gustav Nyquist Scratched For Trade-Related Reasons

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10:20 AM: The Wild are among the most aggressive teams showing interest in Nyquist, Friedman reports.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds that while the two sides are discussing a deal, the trade isn’t done yet.

9:57 AM: The trade-related scratches for deadline sellers have officially begun. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported the Nashville Predators will scratch pending unrestricted free agent Gustav Nyquist for this afternoon’s game against the New York Islanders for “health protection”.

Nyquist is one of the more obvious trade pieces for this year’s deadline. He’s on the final season of a two-year, $6.37MM contract signed with Nashville in 2023. Since the Predators have seemingly committed to punting on this season, he’s likely their easiest tradeable asset.

He should also receive an abundance of interest. The Halmstad, Sweden native is only a year removed from a career-year, scoring 23 goals and 75 points in 81 games during his first year with the club. Despite the impressive scoring numbers, Nyquist also produced the highest CorsiFor% and on-ice save percentage at even strength since his time with the Detroit Red Wings in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Like many of his peers in Nashville, Nyquist’s scoring output has dissipated this year. He’s scored nine goals and 21 points in 51 games, heading toward the lowest production of his career since his injury-riddled 2022-23 campaign split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild. Still, his shooting percentage is fairly close to his career average, and he remains a possession wizard with a 56.4% CorsiFor% at even strength.

The flexibility he provides by being a top or middle-six winger who can play on both sides of the ice should benefit the Predators’ eventual return. Nyquist’s former teams, such as the Blue Jackets, Red Wings, and Wild, all make sense, with the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Tampa Bay Lightning likely also having some interest.

Wild Recall Brendan Gaunce

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The Wild announced they’ve recalled forward Brendan Gaunce from AHL Iowa. The move, which allows them to carry an extra forward for their two-game road trip, gives them a full active roster.

Minnesota opened the roster spot to realign their positional makeup when they waived defenseman Travis Dermott earlier this week. They may have lost him back to the Oilers, who they claimed him from in December, but he was barely factoring into the lineup. Depth at forward is an immediate concern for the Wild, who have star Kirill Kaprizov and top-six pivot Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve and are without depth piece Ryan Hartman amid an eight-game suspension.

The Wild have given the 30-year-old Gaunce a few trials throughout the season, recalling him multiple times in December and January when they were also dealing with various injuries to their forward corps. He only factored into five games, though, and none since Jan. 4. He has no points and a minus-three rating in those appearances, averaging 9:29 per game and going 10-for-24 on draws (41.7%). Minnesota was shelled in his even-strength minutes, losing the shot attempt battle 63-26 with Gaunce on the ice this season.

A veteran of 182 NHL games and nearly 400 AHL contests, Gaunce is purely injury insurance at this stage of his career. He’s still a productive player in the minors, however. In 35 appearances for Iowa, the 6’3″ pivot is tied for second on the team in scoring with 15-14–29. His -15 rating is one short of tying for the worst on the farm, though.

The Ontario native is in his first season in the Minnesota organization after inking a two-year, two-way deal in free agency last summer. He’s now suited up in each of the last four seasons, the other three coming with the Blue Jackets. He’s also skated in games for the Bruins and Canucks pre-pandemic, the latter of which selected him 26th overall in the 2012 draft.

Wild Acquire Tyler Madden From Kings

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The Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings have made a minor league swap, with forward Tyler Madden headed to Minnesota for defenseman Joseph Cecconi. Both players are career AHL fixtures.

The Vancouver Canucks originally drafted Madden in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft.  He spent the next two seasons in a top role at Northeastern University, where he potted 65 points across 63 games. With his eyes on a pro turn, Madden was traded to Los Angeles in a 2020 deal that sent Tyler Toffoli to Vancouver. Madden turned pro in the shortened 2020-21 AHL season and scored just five points in his first 14 career games. He grew to 31 points in 48 games the next year – but has stayed close to the 30-point mark through 71 games in each of the last two seasons. He’s on track to repeat his performance this year – with 25 points in 47 games – but a timely move to the Minnesota organization could give him the spark needed to break 35 points for the first time in his career.

In return, Los Angeles acquired full-frame defender Cecconi to fill the hole left when the Nashville Predators claimed Andreas Englund on waivers. Cecconi was in his first season with the Iowa Wild after two years with the Rochester Americans and five years with the Texas Stars. His 14 points and 41 penalty minutes in 51 games this season continue his tendency for low-scoring and hard-hitting defense through yet another move. Should the Kings face any more blue-line injuries, that style could be enough to earn Cecconi his NHL debut on a lineup that isn’t afraid to ice seven defenders.

Oilers Claim Travis Dermott Off Waivers, Assign To AHL

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Feb. 27: Dermott is heading to a familiar location. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports the Oilers have re-claimed off waivers after losing him to Minnesota in December. He’s already suited up in 10 games for Edmonton this season. Indirectly confirming they were the only team to place a claim on his services, the Oilers announced they’ve reassigned Dermott to their AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors.

Feb. 26: The Wild announced that defenseman Travis Dermott has been placed on waivers. The move will open up a roster spot for an additional AHL recall tomorrow after swapping out Jakub Lauko for Joel Eriksson Ek on injured reserve this morning.

Dermott has only been waived once during his pro career, which is how the Wild acquired him from the Oilers in December. Minnesota needed an experienced presence on the blue line then, with Jonas Brodin and Jacob Middleton on the shelf. However, Dermott’s role has evaporated since the Wild have gotten healthier on the blue line. He’s made nine appearances since the claim over two months ago, going without a point or hit while averaging a paltry 11:23 per game.

Minnesota has carried eight defensemen for much of the last few months. However, with the suspended Ryan Hartman taking up the usual roster spot they devote for an extra forward, they need another body on offense for their two-game road trip that starts Thursday in Utah. It’s unclear who exactly the corresponding recall from AHL Iowa will be, but a forward will be Dermott’s replacement on the active roster tomorrow.

If Edmonton submits a claim for Dermott before tomorrow’s deadline and is the only team to do so, they could send him directly to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield without having to expose him to the wire again. However, if he clears, it will mark Dermott’s first non-conditioning AHL assignment in seven years.

Appearing in each of the last eight NHL seasons, Dermott has a career 16-46–62 scoring line in 348 games with the Oilers, Wild, Coyotes, Canucks, and Maple Leafs. Injuries have limited Dermott’s playing time over the last few years, but the 28-year-old lefty can also play his off-side comfortably, making him a valuable depth asset. Selected 34th overall by Toronto in the 2015 draft, he has decent career possession numbers with a 50.9 CF% and cumulative +23.4 expected rating at even strength, so he remains a decent replacement-level player in bottom-pairing usage despite his lack of offense.

Wild Place Joel Eriksson Ek On Injured Reserve

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Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek has landed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury he sustained in yesterday’s practice, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. He’s been ruled out for a week as a result but will be out “a lot longer” than that, according to Russo. Left-winger Jakub Lauko will be activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move. The team later confirmed Eriksson Ek sustained a lower-body injury and has been given a week-to-week designation.

Injuries just won’t stop piling up for Minnesota. They’re now without their All-Star scorer, Kirill Kaprizov, and their top minute-munching center, Eriksson Ek, for the foreseeable future. The former was initially expected to return around the trade deadline after undergoing lower-body surgery late last month. However, general manager Bill Guerin said last weekend that he’s likely to blow past his four-to-six-week return target and won’t be back in the lineup until later in March at the earliest.

It remains to be seen how much longer Eriksson Ek will be sidelined beyond Minnesota’s next four games in seven days. Each game is crucial for the Wild, who still have a 97.7% chance of making the playoffs (per MoneyPuck), but that number undoubtedly takes a marginal hit without Eriksson Ek’s services. Luckily for them, only four out of their next 10 games are against teams currently in playoff position. Less fortunately, two of those four games are against the Avalanche – the team with the best chance of knocking Minnesota out of third place in the Central Division. The Wild still have a four-point cushion on the Avs with two fewer games played, though, so they would require a serious slide to lose their divisional berth.

Eriksson Ek has already had an injury-plagued campaign. He missed a pair of contests in October with a nasal fracture and has since missed 13 total games with lower-body injuries. Sources tell Russo it’s a lower-body issue keeping him sidelined again this time, although it’s unclear if it’s related to his previous absences. As a result, his offensive production has deteriorated. He’s managed 9-15–24 through 42 appearances, a 47-point pace over 82 games. That comes on the heels of back-to-back 60-point showings for the Swedish center, who notched a career-high 30 goals and 64 points in 77 games for the Wild in 2023-24.

For as long as Eriksson Ek is out, 23-year-old pivot Marco Rossi is Minnesota’s undisputed No. 1 center. For most of this season, he’s skated on the “top” line alongside Kaprizov (when healthy). However, he doesn’t see penalty kill usage like Eriksson Ek and has thus averaged 1:26 less ice time per game in all situations. The latter’s injury surely takes the developing Rossi out of any trade conversations – even if Guerin was planning to leverage the pending RFA in a blockbuster, they can’t afford to lose him now. He’s tied for the team lead in assists (29) and ranks third in goals (20) and points (49).

The center group behind Rossi is uninspiring. Ryan Hartman has spent most of this season on the wing but has played a lot of center for the Wild in the past. He likely would have been their top choice to shift into top-six minutes in lieu of Eriksson Ek, but he, too, has been ruled out for the next four games after having his initial 10-game suspension for roughing Ottawa’s Tim Stützle before the 4 Nations break reduced to eight upon appeal by commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday. As things stand, Frédérick Gaudreau, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Lauko, who’s taken less than 30 faceoffs over his three-year NHL career, will anchor Minnesota’s other three lines.

Regarding Lauko, the 24-year-old has been limited to 33 appearances this season with a recurring lower-body issue, believed to be a muscle strain. He last suited up on Feb. 4 against his former team, the Bruins, and missed the final three games before the break. He’s made just 12 appearances since Thanksgiving.

Ryan Hartman’s Suspension Reduced Upon Appeal

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has reduced Wild forward Ryan Hartman’s suspension for roughing Senators center Tim Stützle from 10 to eight games, the league announced. He will now be eligible to return to the Minnesota lineup on March 4 against the Kraken instead of March 9 against the Penguins.

The break in the schedule for the 4 Nations Face-Off initially meant Hartman was due to miss more than a month of action after he drove Stützle’s head into the ice immediately following a faceoff, which got him tossed from the game – a 6-0 loss – for intent to injure. As a result, he earned an in-person hearing with the Department of Player Safety. The NHLPA filed an appeal on Hartman’s behalf two days after their decision, which Bettman heard over the break. Hartman can again appeal to an independent arbitrator since the reduced length is still at least six games. That process will take longer than the remainder of the suspension, so doing so would only result in him getting some money back in his pocket.

Bettman rarely reduces a suspension. He’s only done it twice in the past nine times they’ve come across his desk, most recently decreasing a suspension to then-Maple Leafs forward Jason Spezza from six to four games in December 2021. Bettman notes the reduction to eight games came at the request of the NHLPA, saying neither Hartman nor the NHLPA contested the fact that a suspension was appropriate for his actions.

The full ruling, available here, is incredibly detailed. While Bettman calls Hartman’s recent track record of suspensions (four within the last 22 months) “an unenviable record and a pattern of malfeasance,” he did agree with the NHLPA’s assertion that an increase of seven games from Hartman’s most recent discipline “is excessive in this case and that the quantum of increase should be reduced.”

Hartman, 30, has struggled this season with 7-10–17 through 48 games. He missed a significant chunk of games in October with an upper-body injury. His 0.35 points-per-game pace is his lowest since his first campaign in Minnesota in 2019-20, although a career-worst 6.5% shooting rate has a lot to do with that and should rebound somewhat after he returns to the lineup.

Kirill Kaprizov Likely Out Longer Than Expected

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  • Exiting the 4 Nations Face-Off break, the Minnesota Wild were expecting the return of star forward Kirill Kaprizov shortly after. However, it appears the Wild are still a ways away from the return of their highest-scoring forward. In an interview on KFAN 100.3, general manager Bill Guerin said, “I think he’s going to be out longer than we originally expected. How much, I cannot answer.” Kaprizov had surgery in late January to repair a lower-body injury and was given a four-week minimum recovery timeline.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Minnesota Wild Recall Liam Öhgren, Devin Shore, Dylan Ferguson

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10:42 a.m.: The Wild confirmed the recalls in a team announcement and also said they’ve summoned goaltender Dylan Ferguson to serve as a practice exception until Filip Gustavsson returns to the club following his performance for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Ferguson won’t count against the 23-player limit, which is good since they have a full complement with Öhgren and Shore back up. He’ll return to the minors before the weekend.

8:00 a.m.: With many players returning to practice today for their respective teams, a few previously reassigned before the 4 Nations Face-Off break will be recalled. The Minnesota Wild are starting early, as the AHL transactions page confirms they’ve recalled forwards Liam Öhgren and Devin Shore from their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.

There was no question the Wild would need to recall a pair of forwards. Aside from the few players on the roster still participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, injuries to Kirill Kaprizov and Jakub Lauko will likely prohibit them from skating while Ryan Hartman is dealing with the ramifications of a 10-game suspension.

Neither Öhgren nor Shore has been a game-changing talent for Minnesota this year but they’ve each played more than a handful of games. Öhgren has scored one goal and four points in 19 games for the Wild this season averaging 11:02 of ice time per game. The former 19th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft is only six games away from officially registering his rookie campaign.

While Öhgren has typically played on the team’s third line when on the roster, Shore has been limited to a fourth-line role. He’s scored one goal and three points in 34 games this year averaging 8:28 of ice time per night. Minnesota sent Shore through waivers shortly before the 4 Nations Face-Off started giving them a fair amount of flexibility with him for the foreseeable future.

Trade Deadline Primer: Minnesota Wild

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With the 4 Nations Face-Off break upon us, the trade deadline looms large and is less than a month away. Where does each team stand, and what moves should they be looking to make? We continue our look around the league with the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota Wild find themselves in an interesting situation as they have been a pleasant surprise this season and are likely bound for the playoffs, barring a collapse. The Wild have done this despite having nearly $15MM of dead money counting against the salary cap and their top player missing significant time due to injury. While the Wild have overachieved, they may be limited by their cap situation. However, they could also use some of their draft capital or promising prospects to move out some money if they find a player that they feel can help them.

Record

33-19-4, 3rd in the Central Division

Deadline Status

Buyers

Deadline Cap Space

$1.4MM on deadline day*, 0/3 retention slots used, 47/50 contract slots used, per PuckPedia.

*Since Kirill Kaprizov is on long-term injured reserve but is expected to return before the end of the regular season, we’re not including his LTIR pool here. They may have some added flexibility at the deadline if he remains on LTIR but they would still need to remain cap-compliant down the stretch by making subsequent roster moves.

Upcoming Draft Picks

2025: MIN 2nd, TOR 4th, CBJ 5th, MIN 6th
2026: MIN 1st, MIN 2nd, MIN 3rd, MIN 4th, SJS 5th, MIN 5th, BOS 6th, MIN 6th, MIN 7th

Trade Chips

Minnesota traded their first-round pick earlier this season as part of a large package to the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman David Jiříček. While Jiříček hasn’t contributed much this season, he looks like a long-term fixture for the Wild, which will ultimately make the trade worthwhile. However, it added a barrier to improving this year’s club (coupled with the lack of salary cap space) and leaves them with few trade chips to part with. As mentioned earlier, the Wild could move future draft picks or promising prospects, but they probably don’t have an appetite for that right now unless they can acquire a player with term who will fit in their plans. The Wild hold just four draft picks this year. However, they have all of their picks next season plus two additional late-round picks.

As far as pieces that could be moved for help this season, Marco Rossi is a name that can’t seem to escape trade rumors. The 23-year-old has emerged as a solid offensive contributor this season for Minnesota, registering 19 goals and 28 assists in 56 games. Rossi was selected by the Wild 9th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has started to show why teams were so high on him. If Minnesota were to move on from the undersized forward, they would create a hole in their forward group that Rossi has been filling for most of this season. Although, given his age and production, he would net the Wild a significant return that they could then use to fill other holes. Rossi is a restricted free agent this summer and is making just $863,334 this season.

The Wild don’t have many other pieces that could be moved off of their NHL roster in a deal, as they have several forwards who are underperforming offensively. However, they do have several prospects who are almost NHL-ready and could be part of a massive deal if Minnesota has the appetite and cap space to facilitate a move. Forward Liam Ohgren is a name that comes to mind; the 2022 first-round pick (19th overall) is still finding his way but has had a run in the NHL this season, posting a goal and three assists in 19 games. While those offensive numbers are underwhelming at first glance, they are distorted by an incredibly low shooting percentage of just four percent.

Another forward the Wild could potentially part with is Riley Heidt, who was their second-round pick in 2023 (64th overall). Heidr is currently the captain of the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League and is having a terrific season, posting 25 goals and 41 assists in 43 games. Heidr is a bit undersized, but he more than makes up for it with his physical play. Teams will covet his enthusiasm for getting to the dirty areas of the ice and playing a disruptive game, but Minnesota may not be willing to part with a player who could very well be their captain one day.

Team Needs

1.) A Top Six Forward: The Wild have been operating with a patchwork forward group since Kaprizov went down with injury and were further depleted when Joel Eriksson Ek was also missing time. On paper, The Wild’s forward group looks like a mishmash of journeymen forwards and young skilled forwards, but in reality, they’ve been a middle-of-the-road offensive team (17th out of 32). Minnesota could benefit from an additional top-six forward who could displace some of the forwards who are punching above their weight class at the moment. However, the cost to acquire and the additional salary will likely make this kind of addition a difficult one. Minnesota has just $1.4MM in deadline day cap space, meaning they would likely need other teams to retain salary if they were to bring in a veteran. Local boys Brock Nelson and Brock Boeser would make a lot of sense for Minnesota as they would represent major upgrades to the top six. However, both men have salaries north of $6MM and will likely be too rich for Minnesota’s tastes this year.

2.) Depth Scoring: The Wild would benefit immensely from more depth scoring from the likes of Ryan Hartman; however, the next best option might be to find more scoring on the trade market. Ryan Donato of the Chicago Blackhawks could be a good option with his $2MM cap hit and the potential to be a lower-cost acquisition. However, it’s always tricky when a player is having a career year and then gets traded, and there is no guarantee that Donato would carry that momentum over in a trade. However, given the Wild’s predicament, Donato may be their best option. Another good depth option could be Jake Evans of the Montreal Canadiens, who has also put together a career year and is a pending unrestricted free agent (just like Donato). At 28 years old, Evans has never topped 30 points in a season, but with 11 goals and 16 assists in 56 games this year, he will most certainly set career highs and should get a nice payday this July.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports.

PHR’s Josh Cybulski contributed to this article.

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