Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Oliwer Kaski

The Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings have completed a minor trade, swapping Kyle Wood and Oliwer Kaski. Kaski will head to the Hurricanes after just a few months in the Red Wings organization, while Wood has now been traded four times in his short career.

Wood, a third-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2014, has already played for four different AHL teams since turning pro and is a quality puck-moving option in the minor leagues with the size—6’5″ 235-lbs—that coaches dream of. The 23-year old may one day get a chance in the NHL, but seems entirely more suited to the minor leagues at the moment.

Kaski meanwhile only came back to North America this season after three years in Finland playing at the highest level. The former Western Michigan Bronco was named Liiga’s best defenseman last season and was a huge part of Finland’s World Championship gold medal. The 24-year old has five points in 19 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL but hadn’t yet gotten a chance at the NHL level despite the struggles and injuries Detroit has seen this season.

This move basically equates to a fresh start for both players, but Kaski does now join an organization known for getting the best out of their Finnish players. The Hurricanes have a huge number of players from the country, led of course by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.