Minnesota Wild Trade Mario Lucia, Christoph Bertschy To New Jersey Devils

The Minnesota Wild have been at the 50-contract limit for some time, making it hard to add anything at the trade deadline. That problem is gone now as the team has traded Mario Lucia and Christoph Bertschy to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Viktor Loov.

Lucia and Bertschy will provide some minor league depth for the Devils, as neither project to have much of an impact at the NHL level. Lucia was selected in the second round in 2011, but hasn’t been able to generate much offense during his time in the AHL. A World Junior champion with the United States in 2013, Lucia is now 24 and has just 15 points on the season for the Iowa Wild.

Loov on the other hand gives some depth for the Wild on defense, as they deal with an injury to Jonas Brodin and have to force some players into larger roles. The Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has four NHL games under his belt, but isn’t much more than a minor league option at this point. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Wild are still deciding whether to keep him as an insurance policy on the NHL roster or send him straight to the Iowa Wild.

The biggest impact of the deal is likely for Jordan Greenway, who is closing in on the end of his collegiate career. The Boston University forward is expected to sign with the Wild when his junior season comes to a close, and could make an impact for the team down the stretch this season. A 6’5″ 230-lbs power forward, Greenway has been playing center this season for BU and could add some size and versatility to the Minnesota NHL squad. Before the deal, Minnesota wasn’t able to sign him to an entry-level contract as they were at their roster limit.