The Minnesota Wild acquired six-time 20 goal scorer Jason Pominville in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
In exchange, the Wild sent Buffalo goalie Matt Hackett, center Johan Larsson, a 2013 first-round draft pick and a 2014 second-round pick. Buffalo also sent a 2014 fourth-round pick to Minnesota.
Pominville, 30, has spent his entire eight-year career with the Sabres, scoring 185 goals and 271 assists in 578 games. This year, he’s amassed 10 goals and 15 assists in 37 games as the Sabres’ captain.
Yahoo! Sports tabbed the Wild as a trade deadline “winner,” saying general manager Chuck Fletcher “stepped up to the plate.”
Fletcher joined the radio home of the Wild, KFAN-FM 100.3 to discuss the trade. He says players like Pominville “don’t come around all that often and we’re fortunate that we got him.”
Head coach Mike Yeo says Pominville will slide in on the top line as the right wing next to Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu.
With Hackett on the way out of the organization, the Wild traded a future pick to Anaheim for goalie Jeff Deslauriers.
