Report: Minnesota Wild reuniting with veteran center Nico Sturm

Sturm, 30, began his NHL career with the Wild, playing for Minnesota from 2019 to 2022. He recorded 36 points (20 goals, 16 assists) in 111 regular season appearances for the Wild before he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March of 2022.

Most recently, Sturm was part of the Florida Panthers team that won the Stanley Cup. He also won a Cup with Colorado in 2022. The German center had a career-high 26 points with the San Jose Sharks in the 2022-23 season and remained with the Sharks until he was traded to the Panthers this March for a seventh-round pick. He tallied just one point in 15 regular season appearances with Florida, but Sturm did appear in eight games in the Panthers' run to the title.

According to Hockey-reference, among skaters with more than 100 faceoffs, Sturm's 58.8 faceoff win percentage ranked fourth in the league this season. He has a career 56.5 mark, which should provide a big boost to a Wild team that struggled in the circle last season (29th out of 32 teams at 46.7 percent). Sturm, who will play on the third or fourth line, can also help kill penalties.

Sturm is the latest offseason acquisition for a busy Wild team that has brought in veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko via a trade with the Red Wings, while sending out Freddy Gaudreau and Declan Chisholm in separate trades.