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Wild Acquire Justin Brazeau

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According to ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the Minnesota Wild are acquiring winger Justin Brazeau from the Boston Bruins in exchange for forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Jakub Lauko and a 2026 sixth-round draft pick. Minnesota has made the deal official.

With Boston shifting into a seller’s mindset over the last week, Brazeau became an obvious trade chip. The New Liskeard, Ontario native was in the final year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract and was one of the few pending unrestricted free agents of value on the Bruins’ roster.

Brazeau is in his first full NHL season after splitting last year between the Boston and Providence Bruins. He has 20 points, split evenly, in 57 games this season and ranks seventh on the team with 89 hits. Minnesota was drawn to Brazeau’s lofty six-foot-six, 227-pound frame – and his right-hand shot – shares Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Brazeau’s pro career began on an ECHL contract with the Newfoundland Growlers in the 2019-20 season. He broke into the pros with 55 points in 57 games, enough to earn a mid-season call-up to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies and an everyday role with the squad in the following year. Brazeau’s AHL start was slow-going in the shortened 2020-21 season, backed by just five points in his first 22 AHL games. The Marlies opted to move on from Brazeau in the following summer, setting him up for a move to the Bruins organization. On the back of cold scoring, he returned to the ECHL for the start of the 2021-22 campaign. But Brazeau quickly earned another call-up after netting 20 points in 18 games. He didn’t let his second chance slip, netting 31 points in 51 games in his first season in Providence. He doubled down with 45 points in 67 games of the 2022-23 campaign, and 37 points in 49 AHL games last year – hot enough scoring to earn the lumbering winger his first NHL call-up.

The Bruins have kept Brazeau on the NHL roster since his first recall in February of 2024. He’s totaled 15 goals and 27 points in 76 career NHL games – and seems to be finding better footing as a third-line role specialist this year. He’ll bring a strong net-front presence to a Wild roster that only has one player – fringe defenseman David Jiricek – taller than six-foot-three.

In exchange for Brazeau, the Wild give up a pair of depth forwards. Lauko has served as one of the team’s top physical presences when he’s healthy, though routine games have come few and far between. Lauko has six points, 27 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in 38 games this season, while tying for fourth on the team with 69 hits. He’s missed 24 games with various lower-body injuries, including a dismal stretch at the end of 2024 where Lauko missed two weeks with one injury, made his return, then got reinjured in his first game back and missed an additional month. He returned briefly before landing back on injured reserve for 20 days of February.

Lauko was in his first season with the Wild after spending the last two years – the first two seasons of his NHL career – with the Bruins. He’ll return to Boston looking to spur his never-ending string of bad health.

Khusnutdinov will join Lauko in the move out East. The 22-year-old has played in 73 games as Minnesota’s fourth-line center over the last two seasons but managed only three goals and 11 points. Khusnutdinov was far more productive over a four-year career in Russia’s KHL, where he suited up for SKA St. Petersburg and their farm club, HC Sochi. Khusnutdinov totaled 22 goals and 75 points across 162 KHL games before he even turned 21. That includes a single-season high of 11 goals and 41 points in 63 games of the 2022-23 season. He moved to Minnesota after Sochi’s 2023-24 campaign came to an end, and has so far struggled to find his footing in North American pros. He’ll slot in as a young and capable depth centerman for a needy Bruins club – and boasts an interesting amount of upside given his secondary inclusion in this deal. How Boston taps into that upside could go a long way towards tailoring their long-term plan, while Brazeau brings a towering addition to a Wild club looking for short-term success.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Wild Notes: Brodin, Bogosian, Deadline Plans

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Another day, another longer-term injury for the Minnesota Wild. NHL.com writer Jessi Pierce shared that defenseman Jonas Brodin is expected to miss the next few weeks with a lower-body injury. One can reasonably assume that Brodin will be placed on the injured reserve relatively soon, but Minnesota didn’t announce any such roster move, despite confirming the news.

The 13-year veteran for the Wild exited the team’s recent game against the Colorado Avalanche after playing in only 15:47 of action. He earned a -2 rating while blocking four shots and putting one on the net. As one of the better defensive-minded players on the roster, Brodin’s exit from Minnesota’s lineup won’t help the team improve upon the 3.75 GA/G average they sustained throughout February.

Brodin, who’s dealt with multiple injuries the last few years, joins forwards Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov as Wild players out with longer-term injuries. Thankfully, there is some positive news on the injury front. Pierce also mentioned defenseman Zach Bogosian will return today from his minor lower-body injury. The former third-overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft missed Minnesota’s intra-divisional matchup on Friday against the Avalanche.

Although this is a perfect time to replace injured players in the NHL calendar, the Wild aren’t expected to do much else. Pierce later shared that Minnesota is expecting back Brodin, Eriksson Ek, and Kaprizov before the regular season’s conclusion, which will have some financial limitations.

The Wild made one addition yesterday by acquiring Gustav Nyquist (50% retained) from the Nashville Predators for a 2026 second-round pick. Still, they later had to reassign forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Liam Ohgren to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, to make the money work.

Because of the salary cap burden, general manager Bill Guerin shared with The Athletic’s Michael Russo that any further trade before Friday’s deadline must be “penny in, penny out.” Normally, Bogosian’s, Jonathon Merrill’s, or Declan Chisholm’s contracts would be reasonable trade fodder in a money-in, money-out deal. Unfortunately, the numerous injuries on Minnesota’s blue line should preclude them from moving out additional depth. The quote from Guerin likely means the Wild are done making moves for the deadline season.

Wild Recall David Jiricek, Reassign Two

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The Minnesota Wild have recalled defenseman David Jiricek and reassigned forwards Marat Khusnutdinov and Liam Ohgren. The moves clear space for winger Gustav Nyquist, who Minnesota acquired from the Nashville Predators for a second-round pick on Saturday morning.

Jiricek’s recall comes after news that both Zach Bogosian and Jonas Brodin are banged up. Bogosian sat out of Minnesota’s Friday game with a lower-body injury, per NHL.com’s Joe Smith. Brodin played just 15:47 of the outing, and his availability remains up in the air per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Jiricek will be the beneficiary of any open minutes, after he recorded his first point in seven AHL games on Friday. He’s struggled to find a consistent rut in the Wild organization, with two points in six NHL games and six points in 26 AHL games. The Wild acquired Jiricek from the Columbus Blue Jackets on November 30th, sending Daemon Hunt and three draft picks the other way. Jiricek is in his third season in North America, and his cold scoring has dragged through every year. He has 66 points in 114 career AHL games, and 13 points in 59 NHL games.

The Wild’s swap of forwards in this mix might not sway their scoring a ton. Ohgren and Khusnutdinov have combined for just four points across their last 10 games. Ohgren has often served as Minnesota’s extra forward, with just four points in 23 games this season. Khusnutdinov has served a hardier role as the fourth-line center, but has just seven points in 57 games. Nyquist has confidently outscored both youngster in his time with Nashville – netting 21 points in 57 games – but he’s managed just one assist in his last 10 NHL games.

Nyquist had a stint with the Wild during the 2022-23 season as well. He scored five points in three games on that stint, but an upper-body injury kept him from stepping into the lineup more before hitting unrestricted free agency. With these moves, Minnesota has carved out the lineup spot needed to give Nyquist a truer look this time around.

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.

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