The Minnesota Wild have acquired forward Oskar Sundqvist from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a draft pick, according to Darren Dreger. Details on exactly which pick have not emerged at this point.
Wild Add to Bottom Six With Sundqvist Trade
Sundqvist, a right-shooting centre who can also play wing, had seven goals and 14 assists for 21 points in 52 games for the Red Wings this season. Originally drafted 81st overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, the 28-year-old has recorded 47 goals and 69 assists for 116-career points between the Penguins, St. Louis Blues, and Red Wings.
Sundqvist’s best offensive season came in 2018-19 for the Stanley-Cup winning Blues, when he recorded 31 points in 74 games and nine points in 25 playoff games. He also won a Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2016 and is on the final season of a four-year deal that carries a $2.75 million AAV. He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Wild GM Bill Guerin also shipped out a bottom-six player today, trading Jordan Greenway to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2023 second-round pick and 2024 fifth-round pick to free up some cap space.
Wild Have Leapt Up the Central Division Standings, Red Wings Have Fallen Behind In Eastern Division Wild-Card Race
The Wild have heated up as of late, going 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. As a result, they now sit second in the Central Division with 76 points, just three points behind the Division-leading Dallas Stars. They appear poised to make some noise in the postseason, having also acquired Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals and Gustav Nyquist from the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this week.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, have fallen further out of the Eastern Conference Wild Card Race. They are 28-24-9 but have lost four games in a row and are five points behind the New York Islanders, who currently hold the second Wild Card spot, and there are four other teams between them.
As a result, GM Steve Yzerman has taken on a seller’s mentality, on Wednesday sending Filip Hronek and their 2023 fourth-round pick to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round pick (from the Islanders) and a 2023 second-round pick and on Thursday trading Tyler Bertuzzi to the Boston Bruins for a protected 2024 first-round pick and 2025 fourth-round pick.
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