MN Wild Trade for Center Help and It’s Not a Good Look for Nico Sturm
The NHL trade deadline is now less than 72 hours away, and at least for now, we are still waiting to see if Minnesota Wild president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has another blockbuster deal up his sleeve before the buzzer goes off on Friday at 2 p.m. CST.
We know Bill Guerin is searching for a top six center, and the Wild have been specifically connected to Guerin’s good buddy and fellow Milan Olympic Gold Medalist, Vincent Trocheck — but only if the New York Rangers lower their asking price between now and Friday afternoon,
Until a bigger and better opportunity presents itself, if it even does, Minnesota will have to settle for smaller moves that strengthen deeper parts of the lineup. Monday, the Wild waived ‘one of us’ Tyler Pitlick, in order to make room for their own waiver claim, Robby Fabbri.
Minnesota Wild trade for Predators center Michael McCarron
And on Tuesday, as first reported by Michael Russo (The Athletic), Billy made yet another move to strengthen the Wild’s bottom six, this time trading a 2028 second round pick to Nashville in exchange for (almost) 31-year-old, 6’6″ 232 lb centerman, Michael McCarron.
One day after adding Robby Fabbri off waivers as they try to reshape their fourth line, the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday acquired 6-foot-6 center Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2028 second-round pick, according to league sources.
Michael Russo – The Athletic
McCarron turns 31 on Friday, which happens to be the aforementioned NHL trade deadline. Now that he’s already been dealt, he won’t have to sweat anything out on his birthday.
The 2013 No. 25 overall draft pick — who’s on the final year of a veteran’s minimum deal — has scored 5 goals and totalled 12 points in 59 games this season, averaging 14:30 TOI with the Predators. More importantly, McCarron bully mentality is something the Wild could use for this stretch run.
McCarron makes Wild a much harder team
As a member of the Minnesota Wild, McCarron will play on the fourth line and kill penalties, which is why — as Russo reports — his acquisition is a clear indictment on Nico Sturm, who Guerin brought back this summer via free agency.
The move is a clear indication that the Wild haven’t been pleased with Nico Sturm’s play. McCarron is a big body who plays a heavy game and has an edge, leading the Predators with 165 hits. He’s also good on draws, winning 53.8 percent of them over the past five seasons, and is a good penalty-killer. He’s amassed 275 penalty minutes in the past three seasons and is known to drop the gloves.
Michael Russo – The Athletic
jake middleton and michael mccaron get punchy in front of fleury pic.twitter.com/1KDk0QPR15
— Hockey Wilderness (@hockeywildernes) April 6, 2022
Related: Wild’s Olympic Hero Plays Hard, Parties Harder
So not only does McCarron leave Nashville as their leader in hits (165), but he’s amassed 73 penalty minutes this to boot. In other words, the MN Wild have a new enforcer in town, at least in the modern sense of the term.
Without a doubt, Guerin also targeted the rough and tumble center for his acumen in the faceoff circle. McCarron has taken over 3,300 draws during his nine-year NHL career — and coming away as the winner at a 52.8% clip, which happens to be his exact faceoff win percentage this season.
Around the league, the questions surrounding the Wild’s plan before the trade deadline are much less about “if” Guerin will make another big deal, but instead about “who” he’ll eventually reel in.
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