Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been clear that he thinks his group deserves an addition at the deadline, and now he’s made one. Kevin Weekes of ESPN reports that the Wild have acquired Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for a third-round pick.
This is Johansson’s second stint with Minnesota, though he may still have nightmares about his first go-round. After being acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in 2020, the versatile forward would play 36 games for the Wild during the regular season before breaking his arm in a playoff loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Surgery and a seven-game elimination followed, ending his time with Minnesota prematurely. Johansson will get an opportunity to rewrite history, joining the Wild ahead of another playoff run.
With a bit of a rebound after some disappointing seasons, Johansson had 13 goals and 28 points in 60 games for the Capitals this season. The left-shot forward can play center in a pinch and adds another capable NHL option to the Minnesota lineup—one that currently leans heavily on one line to do most of the heavy lifting. Johansson’s goal and point totals would put him fifth on the Wild, who have gotten little production from players like Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway.
For Washington, expiring contracts are must-trades unless an extension is possible. The club has already thrown in the towel on this season by trading long-time defender Dmitry Orlov, and might as well sell off anything else that’s not tied down.
Getting a third-round pick for Johansson is a nice return, though it should be pointed out that they invested more than just the one-year, $1.1M contract he is currently playing on. Last year at this time, it was Washington trading for him at the deadline, sending Daniel Sprong and two draft picks (a fourth and a sixth) to the Seattle Kraken. This is the fifth time he has been traded in his career, and the third at the deadline.
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