Bill Guerin shakes up the roster, reuniting two veteran champions with former coaches while parting ways with Jake Middleton to bolster Minnesota's depth and defensive grit.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild has acquired forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maatta from the Calgary Flames for defenseman Jake Middleton.
After a quiet first day, the Wild have made a big splash.
The move creates another significant change on Minnesota's blue line. Middleton was entering the second season of a four-year contract carrying a $4.35 million cap hit.
Coleman has one year left at $4.9 million, but the Flames are also retaining half of that contract. Maatta has two-years left at $3.5 million.
This trade came not even a full day after Guerin said, "We've been involved in a lot of different things. Some didn't work out. Some we backed out of. Some we don't know yet."
Coleman, 34, had 20 goals last year and 35 points in 69 games for the Flames. He has recorded 170 goals, 155 assists and 325 points in 693 career NHL games.
He was with the Tampa Bay Lightning for two seasons and won back-to-back Stanley Cups. In his career, Coleman has four 20-goal seasons and has a career-high of 30 in 2023-24 with the Flames.
His first four NHL seasons was in New Jersey under current Wild head coach John Hynes. He coached Coleman for all four years.
Maatta, 31, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012. Not only was Hynes around him for rookie camps and development camps, but Bill Guerin had him for five years when he was in Pittsburgh.
The 6-foot-2 defenseman had two goals, 12 assists and 14 points in 22 games with the Flames last year after he was traded from Utah in the MacKenzie Weegar trade.
He is a stud defensivly. This proves to be a tremendous trade by Guerin and the Wild.
The final trade:
To Minnesota: Blake Coleman and Olli Maata
To Calgary: Jake Middleton, 2027 third round pick, 2028 fourth round pick and a 2029 second round pick.
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