Minnesota Wild Acquire Nicolas Deslauriers

The Minnesota Wild have acquired forward Nicolas Deslauriers from the Anaheim Ducks reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic adds that the Ducks will receive a 2023 third-round draft pick.

Rumors connecting Deslauriers to the Wild had begun to circulate earlier today, as The Athletic’s Michael Russo wrote, with the trade materializing moments ago. In Deslauriers, the Wild acquire a tough, gritty forward who currently has 210 hits and 90 penalty minutes to go along with five goals and five assists in 61 games for the Ducks this season. Wild head coach Dean Evason spoke about Deslauriers as a player that is tough to play against, but one who would fit right in with the rest of the Minnesota team. Evason also mentioned Deslauriers as someone the Wild had identified for some time now.

For their part, the Ducks are able to acquire a third-round pick in a 2023 draft that is considered to be rather deep for a player who only averages 11:38 of time on ice for them this season and who is a pending UFA. Although Deslauriers brought important skills to the table for a young Ducks team, a trade seemed inevitable and acquiring a third-round draft pick for the forward was something Anaheim and GM Pat Verbeek could not pass up.