The Minnesota Wild took the plunge on Tuesday by acquiring Columbus Blue Jackets forward Gustav Nyquist, whose season is set to be over due to injury.
In return, the Ohio team got their hands on a fifth-round pick in the 2023 draft, according to the TSN network.
Touched in the shoulder, the Swede has been sidelined since January 25, but he did not have to be operated on. The Jackets had indicated Nyquist wouldn’t return until the playoffs, but some pundits’ predictions suggest he could return just before the end of the regular season.
In a memo sent to its 32 teams, the National Hockey League said it would “closely monitor” rosters adding unavailable players before the playoffs.
The left winger was Columbus’ sixth-leading scorer at the time of his injury, with 22 points in 48 games. The 33-year-old athlete will become a free agent at the end of the season, he who commands a salary of $5.5 million this year.
In 700 career games with the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Jackets, Nyquist has amassed 423 points.
For Columbus, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has been sidelined due to trades, the team said Tuesday afternoon.
