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Declan Chisholm

Washington Capitals Acquire, Extend Declan Chisholm

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Jun. 30th: It didn’t take long for the Capitals to extend their newest blueliner. According to PuckPedia, Washington has signed Chisholm to a two-year, $3.2MM contract, with a flat $1.6MM salary each year. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 campaign.

Jun. 28th: The Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals have gotten together on a defenseman trade. According to a team announcement, the Wild have traded Declan Chisholm and the 180th overall pick to the Capitals in exchange for Chase Priskie and the 123rd overall pick.

Thus ends a one-and-a-half-year run in Minnesota for Chisholm. The longtime depth defenseman was claimed off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets partway through he 2023-24 season and turned it into a consistent role with the Wild for some time. In large part due to injuries across Minnesota’s defensive core, Chisholm managed a career-high of 66 games played this past season.

Even further, Chisholm achieved career-highs across the board. He finished the season with two goals and 12 points, averaging nearly 17 minutes of ice time, with a -5 rating and 69 blocked shots. Additionally, his 50.4% CorsiFor% at even strength and 91.5% on-ice save percentage at even strength made him a quality depth piece for the Wild to have on hand.

Unfortunately, he’s unlikely to find a similar role in Washington. The Capitals already have seven defensemen signed through next season, without mentioning they’ll need a new contract for depth defenseman Alexander Alexeyev. If Chisholm isn’t content with moving back to the AHL, he’s an easy non-tender candidate heading into next week.

Meanwhile, Priskie has spent the last two years as a prominent blueliner for the AHL’s Hershey Bears and is expected to hold a similar role with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He’s scored 20 goals and 69 points in 130 AHL contests over the past two years, with an additional four goals and 19 points in 28 postseason contests.

Michael Russo of The Athletic was the first to report that the Wild were trading Chisholm.

Latest On Minnesota Wild Injuries

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March 26: The Wild returned Crotty to the minors late last night after he didn’t enter the lineup, per a team announcement.

March 25: Throughout each season, a handful of teams fall into the well of persistent injury bugs. For yet another year, the Minnesota Wild have found themselves firmly in that rut – with persistent injuries holding stars like Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin to fewer than 45 games each. All three options remain sidelined as April rolls around, though recent updates could see them back in the fold soon.

Minnesota recalled depth defenseman Cameron Crotty under emergency conditions on Tuesday morning. The move was made in case Brodin – who sat out of Monday night’s 3-0 loss to Dallas for rest – was unable to go once again, per Michael Russo of The Athletic. But with Tuesday’s matchup against Vegas drawing close, Russo has updated that Brodin will in fact play per head coach John Hynes. Crotty could still get a chance to go, though – as Russo has shared that Declan Chisholm is day-to-day with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot from Matt Dumba on Monday.

Assuming he’s in, Crotty will be playing in just the second NHL game of his career on Tuesday, after debuting with the Arizona Coyotes last year. The right-shot 25-year-old has managed eight assists, 47 penalty minutes, and a minus-nine in 56 AHL games this season. Those totals are a slight downtick from the 13 points he potted in 64 games of the 2022-23 season, then repeated in 55 games of the 2023-24 season.

Crotty landed as the Wild’s emergency recall after top prospect and routine middle-man David Jiricek was himself injured in the Iowa Wild’s Monday night contest. Jiricek had seven assists in 27 AHL games. No specifics have been revealed about his injury or timeline, but Russo shares that he’s expected to be out for a while. None of Minnesota’s other AHL defensemen – including Carson Lambos, David Spacek, Joseph Cecconi, and Ryan O’Rourke – have yet made their NHL debuts.

Despite the mess of news surrounding the Wild’s blue-line, they’ll enter Tuesday’s game with positive momentum. Brodin is a major addition to the lineup, and showed flashes of bouncing back to form when he recorded an assist on Saturday, playing in his first game after a month-long absence due to injury. He skated in 21 minutes of action, just shy of the 22:38 in ice time that Brodin has averaged through 39 games this season. In those minutes, he’s recorded 19 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-11. Those are strong numbers that, mixed with the rookie Crotty, should help make up for the hold Chisholm leaves on Minnesota’s bottom pair. Chisholm has 12 points, 10 penalty minutes, and a minus-five in 61 games this season. He’s playing through his first full year in the NHL after marking his rookie season last year.

The Wild have more good news waiting in their wings. Russo went on to share that stars Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek are both expected to begin skating this weekend. The pair have been in-and-out of the lineup, with Kaprizov missing 21 games and Eriksson Ek missing 14 with their current injuries. It’s an understatement to say the two are crucial to the Wild lineup. They operate as clear top-line and special teams options for the club, and each average near or north of 20 minutes of ice time each game. Kaprizov led the team in scoring at the time of his injury with 23 goals and 52 points in just 37 games. That mark put him on pace for an amazing 115 points, which would have upended his career-high, and the Wild single-season scoring record, of 108 points set in the 2021-22 season. Eriksson Ek has been far more modest, with just 24 points in 42 games – though his all-three-zones impact has made his absences noticeable.

Minnesota has seen a surge from their 23-year-olds in the absence of their stars. Winger Matt Boldy now leads the team in scoring with 23 goals and 60 points on the season. Center Marco Rossi isn’t too far behind him, with 22 goals and 54 points in as many games. The pair will likely both take a hit to their ice time and special teams usage when Minnesota is back to full health, though their breakout performances are a clear indication of what’s soon to come for the Wild.

Central Notes: Brodin, Bolduc, Predators

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The Minnesota Wild have opted to pull defenseman Jonas Brodin back out of the lineup with three games over the next four days, per Joe Smith of The Athletic. Brodin returned from a month-long absence on Friday, after recovering from missing 12 games with a lower-body injury. Head coach John Hynes told Smith that Brodin’s absence was precautionary, and that the defender hadn’t re-aggravated his previous injury.

The news that Brodin’s health hasn’t gotten worse will be a silver lining for Wild fans. But missing the top defender is still a tough pill to swallow. Brodin has played in just 39 games this season, but he’s looked strong when he’s on the ice – marked by 19 points and a plus-11 on the season. Brodin seemed to jump right back into play in Friday’s game, playing through 20 minutes of ice time and recording one assist and one penalty. But Minnesota will opt to be cautious with their top-pair guy – opting to not tempt fait with each of Marcus Foligno, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Kirill Kaprizov still out of the lineup. Jon Merrill and Declan Chisholm will man the minutes opened up by Brodin’s absence.

Other notes from the Central Division:

  • Top St. Louis Blues youngster Zachary Bolduc is continuing to reach new milestones in his young NHL career. The Department of Player Safety has penalized Bolduc with the first fine of his career, after he cross-checked Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Blankenburg in Saturday night’s game. Bolduc will forfeit $2,248.26 for the incident – the max allowable under the CBA. The young winger has been a focal point of the Blues’ league-best 12-2-2 record since the 4-Nations Face-Off break. He has four points in his last five games, and 11 points in 16 games since the league returned. Bolduc has managed those totals despite averaging just 13 minutes of ice time each night. With that in mind, St. Louis will breathe a sigh of relief that Bolduc was fined rather than suspended. He’ll continue to contribute on a nightly basis, as the Blues look to continue blazing their path to the playoffs.
  • The Nashville Predators have announced a four-year extension with AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals per Predators beat reporter Brooks Bratten. The deal will run through the 2028-29 season and will mark 30 years of partnership between the two sides when it next expires. Nashville announced Milwaukee as an IHL affiliate immediately upon joining the NHL in 1998. The Admirals moved to the AHL three years later and have made the playoffs in 19 of 21 seasons since then. That includes winning the Calder Cup in 2oo4 and making the Finals in 2006. Milwaukee currently ranks second in the AHL’s Central Division and is one of just three minor league clubs to already clinch a postseason berth. Their success comes in part thanks to top Predators prospects such as Ozzy Wiesblatt, Joakim Kemell, and Ryan Ufko.

Wild Recall Jesper Wallstedt, Reassign Daemon Hunt

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Oct. 11: After Hunt was scratched as expected for yesterday’s home opener, the team announced he’s been returned to Iowa while Wallstedt is back with the NHL club. The move indicates Chisholm will likely be ready to return tomorrow against the Kraken if needed.

Oct. 10: The Wild have recalled defenseman Daemon Hunt from AHL Iowa, per a team announcement. Hunt will serve as Minnesota’s seventh defenseman while Declan Chisholm, who’s dealing with an illness, is unavailable for tonight’s home opener. Without an open roster spot to execute the transaction, the Wild sent down goaltender Jesper Wallstedt in a corresponding move. He wasn’t expected to dress tonight anyway, with Marc-André Fleury backing up Filip Gustavsson, per Michael Russo of The Athletic.

Drafted in the third round out of WHL Moose Jaw in 2020, Hunt landed in the AHL two years ago and climbed up the depth chart to make his NHL debut last season. He’s posted 41 points (6 G, 35 A) with a -2 rating in 116 games for the Iowa Wild. While a left-shot defender, he can also comfortably log time on the right side.

A strong skater with good physicality for his 6’1″, 201-lb frame, Hunt made a strong impression in training camp after logging an assist and a -1 rating in his first 12 NHL appearances in 2023-24. He’s still waiver-exempt, though, and his level of play didn’t warrant exposing a depth piece like Chisholm or Jonathon Merrill to waivers. The 22-year-old will remain waiver-exempt throughout the season and should receive frequent call-ups whenever injuries affect the Minnesota blue line.

However, Hunt will likely have to wait a bit to make his season debut in the NHL. He’s projected to sit in the press box while Merrill and Zach Bogosian comprise the Wild’s bottom pairing.

As for Wallstedt, the Wild still thoroughly plan on having him in the NHL as part of a three-goalie rotation. Since he’s one of the few waiver-exempt names on the roster, expect him to be papered down to Iowa at other points this season if Minnesota needs an open roster spot in a pinch.

Wild Notes: Leipold, Boldy, Middleton, Chisholm

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The owner of the Minnesota Wild, Craig Leipold, took part in a lengthy interview with Joe Smith and Michael Russo of The Athletic carrying a wide array of topics. Despite not making the playoffs last year and not advancing past the second round since 2003 Leipold assures Wild fans the organization is firmly committed to bringing a Stanley Cup to the State of Hockey.

Leipold shared that Minnesota was never interested in a full-scale rebuild and the organization is now in year two of a five-year plan to win a Stanley Cup. The major factors in this rebuild are extending star player Kirill Kaprizov next summer and bringing in some marquee free agents when they have more financial flexibility.

The longtime Wild owner touched on the importance of the inevitable negotiations with Kaprizov saying, “Am I convinced that we can (persuade him to stay)? No. Am I convinced that we will have a better offer than anybody else can do in the league? The answer is yes. I told you that this five-year plan is not a straight line. He’s the most important piece of our five-year plan. I think I can say that“.

Minnesota is still financially reeling from the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter from a few years ago with $14.74MM owed to the players this season. That number will drop to only $1.66MM next summer giving the Wild a ton of room to work with as the cap continues to rise.

Other Wild notes:

  • The injuries that limited forward Matt Boldy and defenseman Jacob Middleton during training camp will not extend into the regular season. Jessi Pierce of the NHL reports that both players are expected to be in the Wild lineup tomorrow for their regular season opener. Boldy was suffering from a lower-body injury and was originally designated as week-to-week on September 23rd before being downgraded to day-to-day on October 1st.
  • One player confirmed to not be in the lineup tomorrow night is defenseman Declan Chisholm who is battling an illness (X Link). There was no guarantee Chisholm would have been in the lineup if healthy as the team may have opted for Jonathon Merrill and Zach Bogosian on the bottom pairing regardless. Minnesota did use Chisholm more than he ever has in his career last season averaging 16:52 of ice time in 29 contests after being claimed on waivers.

Wild Re-Sign Declan Chisholm

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Minnesota had just one remaining restricted free agent who saw regular NHL action with them last season and they’ve quickly reached an agreement with that player.  Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Wild have inked blueliner Declan Chisholm to a one-year, $1MM contract.  Chisholm was eligible to file for salary arbitration by yesterday’s deadline but elected not to do so.

The 24-year-old was a productive blueliner in Winnipeg’s system but failed to land a full-time spot with them over his entry-level contract.  That led to a one-year, two-way deal for the league minimum last season where he was waiver-eligible.  The Jets didn’t want to lose Chisholm for nothing at the end of training camp but weren’t confident enough to play him.  As a result, he got into just two games with them before finally being waived in late January where he was promptly claimed by the Wild.

With Minnesota, Chisholm became much more of a regular, getting into 29 games with them over the final three months when he had eight points and 36 blocked shots in a little under 17 minutes a night.  While that output pales in comparison to the 43 points he had in the minors the year before, the fact he was able to lock down a regular role demonstrated that his defensive game improved enough to the point where he could be relied on.

This deal represents a low-risk move for the Wild as $1MM for someone who can hold their own on the third pairing represents strong value.  At the moment, Minnesota has just six regular blueliners under contract for next season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them shop around for some more depth over the coming weeks.  However, with minimal cap space to work with, they’ll have to shop for some lower-cost options.

Central Notes: Chisholm, Marchment, Faksa, Fabbro

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The Wild picked up one of the more interesting young players who hit waivers this season – defenseman Declan Chisholm. A Jets 2018 fifth-round pick who played just two games for Winnipeg in the first few months of the season, Chisholm immediately became an everyday player in Minnesota, posting three goals and eight points in 29 games while averaging 16:52 per game, 1:53 of which came on the power play.

He’s had a strong enough showing to earn him more runway in Minnesota as the club is expected to extend or issue a qualifying offer to the pending RFA, notes The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Chisholm was an RFA last summer, too. Without being eligible for arbitration and hoping for a one-way deal, he was one of the last remaining holdouts league-wide when he signed a one-year, two-way pact with Winnipeg in September. He’s arbitration-eligible this time around, though, putting a yet-to-be-disclosed firm end date on negotiations if he ends up in another lengthy dispute.

All indications point to Chisholm earning the first one-way contract of his career, and he should slot in as a cheap, puck-moving option near the bottom of the lineup for the cap-strapped Wild. Minnesota owes him a qualifying offer of $813,750, a cap hit he’s likely to eclipse when all is said and done.

Other updates out of the Central:

Wild Notes: Lettieri, Brodin, Chisholm, Raška

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The Minnesota Wild have activated forward Vinni Lettieri from injured reserve. Lettieri has been out since December 30th with a lower-body injury, missing the team’s last 14 games. He’s appeared in 19 games when healthy this year, scoring three goals and four points. He has also scored eight points in 10 AHL games.

Lettieri will return to the lineup looking to top 20 games in a season for only the third time in his career. The 29-year-old has played in 102 career NHL games over the last six seasons, though much of them have come in a relief role. The 2021-22 season marked the most that Lettieri has played in one season, as he appeared in 31 games and scored 10 points with the Anaheim Ducks. His only other season of more than 20 games came in the 2018-19 season – Lettieri’s rookie year – which saw the centerman net three points across 27 games.

Lettieri has also totaled 237 points across 277 career AHL games.

Other Minnesota Wild notes:

  • The Wild will be without both Jonas Brodin and Declan Chisholm for their Wednesday night matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, per team reporter Sarah McLellan. McLellan shares that both players haven’t skated much, as Brodin is facing illness and Chisholm was traveling internationally after the team claimed him off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets last week. Both will look to enter the lineup when Minnesota hosts the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.
  • Minnesota has sent forward Adam Raška to the minor leagues. Raška has spent a month with the NHL roster, slotting into five games but failing to change his stat line. The 22-year-old winger has also played in 20 AHL games this season, recording one goal, 61 penalty minutes, and a -5. Raška has appeared in 13 NHL games over the last three seasons, though he’s still searching for his first point. That search will be delayed a bit longer as the former seventh-round pick rejoins the Iowa Wild.

Central Notes: Moore, Chisholm, Khusnutdinov, Zhigalov

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It has been a successful freshman campaign for Blackhawks prospect Oliver Moore.  The 19th overall pick last June is averaging just shy of a point-per-game this season through 26 appearances with the University of Minnesota, leading some to wonder if he might be a one-and-done player.  However, Scott Powers of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that Chicago is expecting the 19-year-old to remain with the Golden Gophers and return for his sophomore season instead of turning pro at the end of the college campaign like Frank Nazar is expected to do.  The Blackhawks have plenty of time to work out a contract with Moore when the time is right; they hold his exclusive rights through August 15, 2027.

More from the Central:

  • Multiple teams are believed to have placed a claim on defenseman Declan Chisholm, report Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). The blueliner landed with the Wild yesterday since they had the highest priority of the claiming teams. With several teams placing a claim, it’s a bit surprising that Winnipeg was unable to move Chisholm for an asset before it came to waiving him as they likely would have reasonably suspected he was going to be claimed off the wire.  Chisholm has played just twice this season and will have to wait at least a week to play for his new team with Minnesota off until February 7th.
  • Still with the Wild, Russo relays in that same column that prospect Marat Khusnutdinov could sign with the team after his KHL season ends and burn the first year of that contract in 2023-24. The 21-year-old was a second-round pick in 2020 (37th overall) and has seen his production taper off in Russia this year.  After putting up 41 points a year ago, Khusnutdinov has just 16 in 45 games with less than a month left in the regular season.
  • Avalanche goaltending prospect Ivan Zhigalov is looking for a new place to play as USHL Tri-City announced that they’ve released him from their roster. The 20-year-old was the final pick of the 2022 draft, going 225th overall after a 42-game stint in the QMJHL.  Last year, Zhigalov cleared waivers in that league and moved to the OHL.  He cleared waivers there back in September and caught on with Tri-City but has played in just nine games so far this season, posting a 3.59 GAA with a .884 SV%.  Colorado has until June 1st to sign Zhigalov or lose his rights.

Minnesota Wild Claim Declan Chisholm Off Waivers From Winnipeg

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The Minnesota Wild have claimed defenseman Declan Chisholm off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Chisholm has played in two games with the Jets this season, scoring one point. He’s also appeared in six games and scored five points with the AHL’s Manitoba Moose.

Chisholm will leave a Jets organization that he’s been with since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He made his professional debut in the 2020-21 season when he appeared in 28 games and scored 13 points with the Moose. He’s since only played in four career NHL games, though he has totaled 116 games and 91 points in the AHL – including 43 points in 59 games last season.

Chisholm provides the Wild with another option on defense besides Dakota Mermis and Daemon Hunt, who has served as the de facto fill-ins when Minnesota has faced injury. And they have been needed, with every Wild defender except for Brock Faber and Jacob Middleton missing some duration of time this season. That includes team captain Jared Spurgeon, who is out for the season with a hip injury. While the injuries have been a defining weakness of Minnesota’s season, they could provide Chisholm the chance to receive extended ice time in the NHL for the first time in his career. He will look to beat out Mermis, who has appeared in 33 games and scored seven points this season.

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