MN Wild Trade for More Help on Defense

Friday is the NHL trade deadline and the Minnesota Wild remain in the market for high-end center help — a guy who can win over 50% of his faceoffs and play solid up the middle on both ends of the ice — aspects of a good team that have escaped the Wild since trading Marco Rossi away in the Quinn Hughes blockbuster.

Fresh off winning an Olympic Gold Medal as GM of Team USA, Wild president of hockey operations, Bill Guerin, is hungrier than ever to get his hands back on the Stanley Cup. Without a doubt, he’d love nothing more than to take another big swing before 2 p.m. CST tomorrow.

Jeff Petry joins the Minnesota Wild

In the meantime, Billy remains patient and continues to build out the depth needed for a deep playoff run. Earlier this week, Minnesota added depth center Michael McCarron via trade and Robby Fabbri via waiver claim.

Neither pickup is the needle-moving upgrade Guerin may or may not be determined to make, but they’ve made the roster stronger as a whole, which will be needed in the postseason with or without Vincent Trocheck on roster.

Thursday afternoon, however, the MN Wild made yet another touch up around the edges of the roster, dealing a seventh round pick to the Florida Panthers in exchange for 38-year-old grizzled defenseman Jeff Petry.

Jeff Petry, acquired by MIN, is a veteran depth defenceman pic.twitter.com/Dt9lTyWRAt

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 5, 2026

Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has acquired defenseman Jeff Petry from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The draft pick becomes a fifth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft if Minnesota wins two playoff rounds and Petry plays in 50 percent or more of the Wild’s playoff games during those first two rounds.

Minnesota Wild

This is Jeff Petry’s 16th year in the NHL, his first with the Florida Panthers The Minnesota Wild will be Petry’s sixth NHL team. In 58 games this season, Petry has recorded zero goals and eight assists, while racking up 57 blocked shots and 59 hits.

JEFF PETRY WITH A BLAST FROM THE BLUE LINE TO TIE IT UP. 🚨

(🎥: @DetroitRedWings)pic.twitter.com/D5p7ui5gU8

— theScore (@theScore) January 5, 2024

Worth watching: If Petry can’t put the puck in the net at some point over the Wild’s remaining 20 regular season games, it would be his first NHL season without recording a goal (see below).

The MN Wild are back in action on Friday night against the Las Vegas Knights. Las Vegas acquired Washington Capitals center Nic Dowd on Thursday. It remains to be seen what other talent Minnesota may bring in for the matchup.

More About:Minnesota Wild