The Nashville Predators have traded veteran winger Gustav Nyquist back to the Minnesota Wild, retaining 50% of his salary in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, the Predators announced Saturday afternoon.

Nyquist, 35, played for the Wild prior to joining the Predators; the Swede was traded by Columbus to Minnesota on Feb. 28, 2023 - just over two years ago - for a 2023 fifth-round pick.

In his short previous stint with the Wild, Nyquist scored a goal, four assists, and five points in three regular season games, in addition to five assists in six playoff contests.

The Predators held the 5-foot-11 winger out of the lineup for their game against the New York Islanders Saturday afternoon in anticipation of a trade, which, as we now know, is complete.

Nyquist finishes his Predators career with 32 goals, 64 assists, and 96 points in 138 regular season games and one goal, three assists, and four points in six postseason games.

The 35-year-old was unable to replicate his personal-best 75-point campaign from a year ago, and given the Predators' direction and need to get younger, a move sending Nyquist to a more optimal situation was imminent.

The Predators now have a combined eight draft picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 and 2026 NHL drafts.