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Nashville, Minnesota Complete Nick Bonino Trade

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Trade winds are blowing strong today. After Matt Murray was moved just before the start of the draft, the Minnesota Wild have acquired Nick Bonino from the Nashville Predators. The Wild will also receive picks 37 and 70 in today’s draft, in exchange for Luke Kunin and pick 101.

Wild GM Bill Guerin was with the Pittsburgh Penguins when Bonino won consecutive Stanley Cups and now he brings him into a new team that is desperate for reliable play down the middle. After trading Eric Staal and letting Mikko Koivu leave in free agency, the Wild have made several moves to address the middle of the ice. Nick Bjugstad and Marcus Johansson have both already been acquired through trade, meaning Minnesota will have a brand new look up front next season.

Kunin is the latest to be moved out, but he’s certainly not in the same decline phase as Koivu and Staal. Instead, the 22-year-old forward was one of Minnesota’s younger players and is coming off his first full season in the NHL. Kunin recorded 15 goals and 31 points in 63 games for the team, but still has some warts in his game at the defensive end.

Bonino is certainly more well-rounded, but he also comes with a price tag of $4.1MM. The Predators were clearly ready to move money out of the middle—they followed the Bonino trade with a buyout of Kyle Turris—and are now set up to be spenders in free agency once again. For the Wild, Bonino only has one year remaining on his contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. While the team certainly could re-sign him, the veteran center is now 32 and hasn’t scored 20 goals in a season since 2013-14.

San Jose Sharks Acquire Devan Dubnyk

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In their second trade of the day, the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild have announced that Devan Dubnyk is heading to California. The Wild will receive a 2022 fifth-round pick in return, while the Sharks will receive a 2022 seventh-round selection in addition to the veteran goaltender. Minnesota will also be retaining half of Dubnyk’s remaining $4.33MM cap hit for the 2020-21 season.

The two teams completed an earlier trade that saw Ryan Donato go to San Jose in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick. Sharks GM Doug Wilson released a statement on the latest deal:

Devan has been one of the League’s top goaltenders for many years and after playing so many years in the Western Conference, is someone our hockey staff is very familiar with. As we head into what will surely be a unique season, his acquisition gives us a high-quality and experienced tandem of netminders.

For the Sharks, this means the team will have an experienced tandem, but one that will need drastic performance improvements next season. The team’s starter Martin Jones has now posted back-to-back seasons with an .896 save percentage, allowing 394 goals in 103 appearances. That save percentage was third-worst in the NHL last season among goaltenders with at least 30 appearances, ahead of Pekka Rinne and, unfortunately, Dubnyk. The Minnesota netminder posted a dreadful .890 in his 30 games for the Wild, though does at least have several recent strong seasons to fall back on. In 2018-19, when Jones was still struggling, Dubnyk posted a .913 save percentage in a league-leading 67 appearances for Minnesota.

Amazingly, these two goaltenders finished fifth and sixth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2017. While it seems unlikely they can get back to that level in 2020, it’s not necessarily out of the question. With Jones signed for four more seasons at a $5.75MM cap hit, the Sharks will try everything to get him back to playing at a high level. Dubnyk meanwhile comes in at a relatively inexpensive $2.17MM cap hit after the salary retention, plus is actually set to earn even less in actual salary.

The Sharks also paid a very low price for the acquisition, swapping a pick two rounds up for the chance to see what Dubnyk can do in San Jose. That’s almost nothing, though given the overflowing goaltending market this offseason this acquisition certainly won’t excite many fans.

For Minnesota, moving on from Dubnyk was an obvious move for GM Bill Guerin. The team wants to get younger and provide opportunities for some of their prospects, which could include reigning AHL Goaltender of the Year Kaapo Kahkonen. The Wild also still have Alex Stalock under contract for two seasons at just a $785K cap hit. Kahkonen, who is just 24 and coming off an outstanding season in the AHL in which he posted a .927 save percentage, is an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent in need of a new deal. Whether he can handle the starting job isn’t clear, but with Dubnyk out of the way, there is a clear path to the net.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild Sign Carson Soucy

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Oct 5: The Soucy contract is now official, with the Wild announcing the three-year, $8.25MM deal.

Oct 2: The Minnesota Wild have been working hard to find a new contract with pending free agent defenseman Carson Soucy, and have finally found some common ground. The team is closing in on a three-year extension that will pay Soucy an average of $2.75MM per year according to Frank Seravalli of TSN. Soucy was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next week and had been drawing plenty of interest.

Soucy, 26, is one of those rare Group VI UFAs that actually demands attention on the open market, after playing 55 games for the Wild this season. He was on track to pass the 80-game threshold that would have kept him a restricted free agent this offseason until he suffered an injury and the season was suspended, leaving the Wild vulnerable to his departure.

It’s still impossible to know exactly what the 6’5″ is in the NHL with so little actual experience, but the Wild are betting that his history of success at the collegiate and minor league level will carry over to the big leagues. It certainly seemed to this season, but it’s worth noting that Soucy didn’t play a big role on either the penalty kill or powerplay. He did however look strong when paired with the recently extended Jonas Brodin, suggesting that he could take on a bigger role next season.

Of course, a deal like this will only strengthen the voices that are suggesting the Wild would consider moving Matt Dumba, given how much money is now tied up on the Minnesota blue line. The team already had nearly $28MM locked into Brodin, Dumba, Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Suter, and Greg Pateryn, meaning Soucy would push the group over $30MM. While that’s not completely debilitating, it doesn’t give you a lot of wiggle room to improve the rest of the roster, especially when big tickets like Kevin Fiala will need new contracts fairly soon.

Still, getting Soucy under contract now doesn’t necessarily mean even he will be suiting up for the Wild next season. GM Bill Guerin has already shown a willingness to move out pieces when he doesn’t believe they fit any longer and it’s hard to imagine there aren’t some more changes coming in Minnesota.

Minnesota, San Jose Complete Ryan Donato Trade

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11:20am: The deal has been officially announced. Donato will head to San Jose in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick.

10:09am: The Minnesota Wild and San Jose Sharks have been working on several trades over the last week and are closing in on at least one of them. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the two sides will soon announce a trade that will see Ryan Donato head to the Sharks in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick. Devan Dubnyk, who the two sides have also discussed, will be in a separate trade if they can complete it.

Donato, 24, will be heading to the third NHL organization of his young career after previously being traded from the Boston Bruins in 2019. The 2014 second-round pick made one of the most electrifying debuts of the last few years after starring at Harvard and on the Olympic stage, but hasn’t been able to reproduce that magic on a regular basis. In 130 NHL games he has just 57 points and found himself on the fourth line or in the press box on several occasions this season.

That certainly doesn’t mean he won’t take his game to another level in San Jose, but the Wild have clearly made a decision to change the makeup of their forward group. Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has already traded Eric Staal and let Mikko Koivu depart through free agency, acquiring Marcus Johansson and Nick Bjugstad in the process. Donato and his $1.9MM cap hit will head to San Jose for a draft pick, opening up another roster spot for one of the team’s other young forwards.

San Jose of course is looking for ways to rebound after a brutal 2019-20 campaign that saw them score just 180 goals in 70 games. Timo Meier led the club with 49 points and Evander Kane was the only player who could score consistently on the powerplay. Donato will likely have an opportunity to play up in the lineup for the Sharks, who have their own youth movement happening upfront after watching Joe Pavelski leave last offseason. Melker Karlsson and Joe Thornton—two of the team’s three remaining 30-plus forwards—are both unrestricted free agents that could be looking for new homes come Friday.

Nico Sturm Re-Signs With Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild have locked up one of their restricted free agents, signing Nico Sturm to a new two-year contract. The deal will carry a $725K cap hit at the NHL level and keeps Sturm from reaching restricted free agency.

Sturm, 25, was a highly sought after undrafted free agent in the spring of 2019 after he dominated for Clarkson University. The German-born forward ended up signing with the Minnesota organization and played his first two professional games down the stretch. This season he spent almost the entire year in the minor leagues, putting up 32 points in 55 games for the Iowa Wild. He did get into six more regular season matches for Minnesota and happened to score his first NHL goal in one of the two postseason appearances he made this summer.

The big-bodied forward was never expected to step into the lineup and be a star for the Wild, but when signed he did look like he would be a full-time NHL option for the team. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case so far, though he’ll get a chance to secure a roster spot on the new-look team. Minnesota GM Bill Guerin has made sweeping changes to the forward group already and has been clear about his desire to get younger upfront.

The Wild still have two important RFA forwards to sign in Jordan Greenway and Luke Kunin, along with several minor league free agents including Kaapo Kahkonen.

Minnesota Wild Shopping Ryan Donato

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Oct 1: Russo updated his piece today with a report that Donato and Dubnyk could both be on their way to the San Jose Sharks in short order. The deal may be hinging on Dubnyk’s partial no-trade clause, which allows him to list 19 teams that he can be traded to. The 34-year-old goaltender has just one year remaining on his contract and carries a $4.33MM cap hit, but is owed just $2.5MM in actual salary.

Sep 30: The Minnesota Wild are one of the teams to watch over the next several weeks. GM Bill Guerin has been anything but shy in revamping his roster, with Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu already on their way out and Nick Bjugstad and Marcus Johansson in. Now he’s looking move another forward, as Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Ryan Donato is being shopped.

The San Jose Sharks have shown interest according to Russo, while Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also suggested that the Florida Panthers could be looking at the Paul Fenton favorite. Fenton was the GM of the Wild when they acquired Donato in 2019 and is now an assistant GM in Florida.

Donato, who is now 24, has long been an intriguing talent without much to show for it. The 56th overall pick in 2014, he quickly became one of the best collegiate players in the country, challenging for the Hobey Baker award in 2018. That same year he suited up for Team USA at the Olympics and made his dazzling NHL debut, scoring three points for the Boston Bruins and instantly becoming a fan favorite.

Unfortunately, that instant success didn’t carry over to the next season. Donato had just nine points in 34 games for the Bruins in 2018-19 before a trade sent him to the Wild. He made an early impression in Minnesota too with 16 points in 22 games down the stretch, but this year found himself on the fourth line or in the press box more often than not.

With just 23 points in 62 games and a roller-coaster history, it’s not clear what Donato’s real trade value would be. One thing in the Wild’s favor is his cost—he’ll carry a $1.9MM cap hit in 2020-21 before becoming a restricted free agent once again.

As for the other trade targets on the Wild roster, Russo provides updates on Matt Dumba, Devan Dubnyk, and Zach Parise in his lengthy piece. Each presents their own challenges and none appear to be imminent.

Morning Notes: Johnson, Murray, Predators

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Jim Rutherford may be a bigger fan than most of Jack Johnson, but that doesn’t mean the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman will be in the lineup on opening night. Rutherford, the Penguins GM, spoke with Josh Yohe of The Athletic yesterday and explained that after acquiring Mike Matheson from the Florida Panthers there may not be any room on the left side for Johnson next season.

[Brian] Dumoulin and [Marcus] Petterson are still young and aren’t going anywhere. And obviously we like Matheson a great deal. He’ll play on the left side. So, that’s our left side. Those three. That’s it.

Rutherford suggested that Johnson could play the right side or is maybe “just going to be a depth guy” for 2020-21, but it certainly wasn’t the same vote of confidence he gave when the season ended. There is still lots of offseason left and the Penguins priority may be moving a goaltender, but make no mistake that there may still be changes coming on the blue line.

  • Michael Murray has been hired by the Minnesota Wild as an assistant to the general manager, coming over from his post with the AHL. Murray was named vice president of hockey operations for the minor league in 2011 and was considered the second in command behind commissioner Dave Andrews. As Michael Russo of The Athletic points out on Twitter, Murray happens to be the son of Minnesota GM Bill Guerin’s former agent. The team explained that Murray will help oversee the day-to-day of the hockey operations department and assist with contract negotiations, player development, and scouting.
  • The Nashville Predators are considering moving one of their centers according to Frank Seravalli of TSN, who lists Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, and Nick Bonino on his latest Trade Bait board and mentions Kyle Turris as well. Nashville has an incredible $26.1MM in cap space locked up in those four, with only Bonino’s deal (the cheapest of the bunch) expiring anytime soon. There wasn’t a 45-point player in the bunch of them this season, with Duchene (42) coming closest.

Snapshots: Ryan, Soucy, USHL

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The Ottawa Senators bought out Bobby Ryan over the weekend, but that doesn’t mean his playing career is over. Interest has already started to emerge, with Kevin Kurz of The Athletic tweeting that the San Jose Sharks are one of “many teams” that have checked in on the free agent winger.

Ryan, 33, will be making more than $1.8MM in each of the next four years regardless of what his next contract is, meaning he may be willing to take a cheap deal to get back on the ice with a new organization.

  • The Minnesota Wild are still negotiating with Carson Soucy according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, one of their pending unrestricted free agents. Russo reports they are also speaking with Kyle Rau and Matt Bartkowski, and will be signing Hunter Warner to an AHL deal instead of issuing him a qualifying offer. With the Stanley Cup now awarded, front offices will be in overdrive trying to get new deals in place before free agency opens on October 9.
  • The USHL has released its schedule for the 2020-21 season, expected to start on November 5. Each team will be scheduled for 54 games over the 24-week season, which ends on April 24. The junior league is an important development step for many prospects and will try to navigate the season with a regional schedule.

Wild Won't Buy Out Victor Rask

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The Wild will not buy out center Victor Rask, GM Bill Guerin told Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription link).  The 27-year-old has struggled mightily over his two seasons in Minnesota, compiling just 16 points in 66 games while being a frequent healthy scratch along the way.  That’s hardly production that’s worthy of a $4MM price tag for two more years which made him a strong candidate to be released.  Instead, they’ll hold onto Rask and hope that he’ll be able to rebound and perhaps fill one of the vacancies created by the departures of Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu.

Trade Rumors: Laine, Dumba, Rust

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While it is Frank Seravalli who produces TSN’s Trade Bait board, colleagues Darren Dreger and Pierre LeBrun backed up the trade statuses of a pair of players at the top of his board on this evening’s edition of Insider Trading. While he may be only 22 years old with four 50+ point seasons under his belt, don’t dismiss the rumors surrounding Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine as wild speculation, warns Dreger. He states that the Jets are “serious” and absolutely listening on the young scorer. In fact, the Laine noise has not been louder merely because the interest has been limited so far, either due to the asking price or other teams not truly believing that Laine is for sale. LeBrun notes that the Columbus Blue Jackets are one team that is definitely interested in Laine. The team sorely needs high-end talent up front as may have the top-four defenseman and young center that Winnipeg desires. Another team that also kicked the tires on Laine was the Carolina Hurricanes, but LeBrun believes that they balked at the asking price for the Finnish sniper and talks fell off after that. One team that hasn’t checked in on Laine yet? The Montreal Canadiens. While LeBrun acknowledges that the Canadiens could desperately use a player of Laine’s ability, they thus far have been hesitant to enter negotiations.

  • The trade availability of Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba, No. 2 on the trade bait board, has been far more concrete, as teams and the media alike can look ahead to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft and see the conundrum coming down the line for the Wild. Yet, Dreger states that Dumba is on the block, but Minnesota is not in a rush to move him. He believes that the Wild will hold on to Dumba, perhaps even through the season, until the asking price is met. Right now, that price is believed to be a legitimate top-six center, which Dreger feels might be asking too much. The other option could be a high first-round pick and a young roster forward, which is a more likely return. The team will hold out for one of those two returns, as there is no urgency to move on from Dumba at a lower price.
  • One name that rival GM’s are asking about who isn’t necessarily on the block is Pittsburgh Penguins forward Bryan Rust. Rust is coming off of a career year, but it seems like no one on the Penguins roster is safe, leading other teams to ask the question. GM Jim Rutherford tells The Athletic’s Rob Rossi and Josh Yohe that he will listen to any offer, but isn’t keen to trade Rust. However, another sources tells The Athletic that Rutherford would part with Rust for an NHL-ready prospect and another top prospect. That might be a heavy price to pay, but don’t rule out the possibility in an unpredictable off-season.

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