2:20 P.M. UPDATE
Russo reports the Wild have traded veteran Matt Hendricks to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick.
Matt Hendricks has been traded back to Winnipeg for a 7th-round pick
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019
1:40 P.M. UPDATE
NHL insiders Pierre LeBrun and Michael Russo report that the Minnesota Wild have traded forward Mikael Granlund to the Nashville Predators for Kevin Fiala.
The deal was reported just 20 minutes before the NHL’s 2 p.m. trade deadline.
Mikael Granlund has indeed been traded from the #mnwild….Kevin Fiala coming from #nhlpreds. Waiting to hear if there's anything else in the deal
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019
Minnesota sends Granlund to Nashville for Fiala, source confirms.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019
Granlund, 26, is arguably Minnesota’s top playmaker, and he’ll now join a more skilled lineup in Nashville with the Cup-contending Predators. Fiala, a 22-year-old former first-round pick, has 10 goals and 23 assists in 64 games this season.
More to come.
11:30 A.M.
The NHL trade deadline strikes at 2 p.m. today and all eyes are on the Minnesota Wild and what they’ll do with core players Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund.
Michael Russo of The Athletic says he’s hearing the Carolina Hurricanes have shown interest in Zucker, while also posting a story (paywall) indicating that Wild general manager Paul Fenton has “shopped both players heavily” in recent days.
Russo goes as far as to say one team interested in Granlund is Fenton’s former employer, the Nashville Predators. Russo noted that Fenton could be interested in 22-year-old former first-round pick Kevin Fiala, a note that TSN hockey inside Pierre LeBrun is also hearing.
Hearing similar to @RussoHockey that Minnesota showing interest in Kevin Fiala… would old pals Poile and Fenton swing a deal together? https://t.co/qf16B3Xp91
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) February 25, 2019
Granlund has one year remaining on his contract, so the Wild or another team that trades for him will have to discuss a contract extension within the next year.
Fiala, meanwhile, has 10 goals and 22 assists in 64 games with the Predators. He scored 23 goals last season, his first full season in the NHL after being taken 11th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Fiala is a restricted free agent after the season but won’t cost nearly as much as Granlund, who is due to make $6.75 million in 2019-20.
Fenton has already traded Nino Niederreiter (Carolina) and Charlie Coyle (Boston), so even more retooling wouldn’t be a big shock.
More to come.
