The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche swapped defensemen on Tuesday evening as the Wild sent Greg Pateryn to Colorado for Ian Cole.
Cole is a former first-round pick and two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins but has spent the last two seasons with the Avalanche. A defensive player with a hard shot, Cole put up four goals and 22 assists in 26 games last season with a plus/minus rating of 21.
Cole’s arrival comes at the expense of Pateryn who was in and out of the lineup as a third-line defenseman the past three seasons. Pateryn collected 12 points (1 G, 11 A) during his time in Minnesota.
Thank you for everything, Greg!#mnwild pic.twitter.com/leOxKvQ1NC
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 19, 2021
While Cole will be a part of the Wild’s blue line, his debut may have to wait due to quarantine rules.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo reported that since the Avalanche are set to face the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night, the team bus would pick up Pateryn from Anaheim, where the Wild are currently playing the Ducks and drop Cole off to avoid the need to quarantine. Russo also reported the two teams are looking to work out transportation for the two players.
The Wild are 2-1-0 on the season and will face the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night.
