Minnesota Wild Give Up a Heavy Price in a Blockbuster Trade with the Colombus Blue Jackets
The Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets just completed a blockbuster trade centered around defenseman David Jiricek.
Jiricek, who has been rumored to be on the trade block for some time now, finally has his new home as the Wild picked up the 21-year-old Czech blueliner in a major move.
The Wild also received a 5th round draft pick in the deal, but sent a plethora of assets to Columbus in return.
Those assets include a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round draft picks spread out between the 2025, 2026, and 2027 drafts.
Minnesota also gave up defenseman Daemon Hunt.
Jiricek will now look to establish himself as a full-time NHLer with his new club. More details will come in shorty, so stay tuned for updates on this evolving story.
Update
Jiricek is a former 6th overall pick of the Blue Jackets back from the 2022 draft. Since then he has appeared in 49 NHL games, putting up 11 points in the process.
He has not been particularly good so far in his young career, but he clearly still has a ton of talent and upside. With a little time he could be a top-pairing defender.
The price may seem like a lot from Minnesota's perspective, but many scouts have already shared their thoughts on the upcoming draft class, noting that it is not the best.
As a result, if the Wild do will this year and that pick ends up in the late first round, the Blue Jackets could very well end up with a player who never turns into a regular NHLer.
If that turns out to be the case, Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin could end up looking like a genius, particularly if Jiricek turns into the player many were expecting him to.
This will certainly be an interesting trade to look back on in a few years time. After all, hindsight is 20/20, but it is foresight that creates champions.
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