Wild Acquire Forward Gustav Nyquist From Nashville

The Minnesota Wild have acquired forward Gustav Nyquist from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a second round pick in 2026. Nashville will retain 50% of his salary. 

Nyquist, 35, has nine goals and 29 points this year in 57 games for the Predators. He was held out for the Predators game for trade related reasons and has now been dealt to the Wild. 

The 5-foot-11 forward was originally traded to the Wild at the 2023 deadline for a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft. He finished the season with the Wild and went on to sign a two-year deal with the Predators.

In three regular season games following the trade, Nyquist recorded one goal and four assists. He was one of their most consistent forwards in the playoffs as well. In six playoff games, he recorded five assists. 

The Wild wanted to re-sign him but couldn't due to the salary cap. They elected to re-sign Marcus Johansson on a two-year deal worth $2.1 million AAV, which was cheaper than Nyquist’s two years at $3.185 million AAV. 

The Wild are banged up. They are without Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov and need to find some replacements. Nyquist is a year removed from a season in which he recorded 23 goals, 52 assists, and 75 points in 81 games. 

It is worth noting that after the trade, the Wild have $6.6 million of Cap Space remaining in Long-term Injury Reserve LTIR. Kaprizov is currently on LTIR and Eriksson Ek is on the Injured Reserve (IR). 

If both injured players were to come back prior to end of the season, the Wild would need to clear $2.4 million in annual cap. They could send three players down. Nonetheless, having Nashville retain salary on the trade was huge for the Wild in terms of flexibility. 

What do you think? Comment below!