Minnesota Wild Swing 2-for-1 Trade (Plus Picks)

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New Minnesota Wild center, Blake Coleman - Nashville Predators at Calgary Flames
Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Four weeks into the Minnesota Wild offseason and president of hockey operations Bill Guerin has very little to show for his efforts, to this point. While the Wild made a flurry of moves Wednesday (day one of free agency) they were more around the edges of the roster.

And after losing a handful of key free agents, there is still a lot of work to do, and little money in which to do it. So what does Guerin have up his sleeve? Well, the PoHO spoke with reporters yesterday, and he himself seemed unsure of what comes next, though he did note that that Thursday (today) is a new day.

Minnesota Wild trade Jake Middleton + picks for two veterans

Guerin didn’t want to get into any specifics, but did note that the Wild have backed out of multiple trade and free agent negotiations because costs were getting too high, instead choosing to remain flexible.

And sure enough, at about 10:30 a.m Thursday morning, the Minnesota Wild did indeed complete a trade, sending 30-year-old defenseman Jake Middleton to Calgary in exchange for 34-year-old center Blake Coleman and 31-year-old defenseman Olli Maatta.

The most notable moves yesterday came when new deals were announced for both Zach Bogosian and Nick Foligno for 2026-27. A few weeks ago, they also inked Michael McCarron to a long-term extension.

Other than that — outside of a big swing and miss on Brady Tkachuk, before Ottawa ultimately traded him to Florida to play with his brother — Minnesota’s offseason has been put on hold while they wait for the Detroit Red Wings to move Dylan Larkin, which doesn’t seem to be going well.

What are MN Wild getting in Olli Maatta and Blake Coleman?

But this move feels a little bit different. Maatta played 22 minutes per game last season for Calgary, after being traded there from Utah midseason. With the Flames, he flourished, scoring 2 goals and assisting on 13 more, in just 21 games played. Minnesota will be Maatta’s 7th NHL team.

That, along with his experience winning two Stanley Cups with Guerin in Pittsburgh early in his career, clearly allowed the Wild to pull the trigger on this trade. He will replace Middleton on the blue line and the Wild also get a depth center, in Coleman, which they desperately needed.

Related: MN Wild Top Prospect (and Trade Asset) Nearing 100%

Given what the roster currently looks like, who knows where the former 3rd round draft pick will slot in, but this is a legitimate NHL center who regularly scores between 15 and 25 goals per game. He isn’t afraid to get a little dirty, either.

Last season, in 69 games played, Coleman scored 20 goals and assisted on 15 more, in 17:20 of average TOI. As recent as 2023-24, the former Miami (Ohio) star netted 30 goals and 24 assists (17:08 TOI). The Wild will be his fourth NHL team.

Goodbye Jake Middleton…

I have to applaud this two-for-one swap (I quit caring about draft picks long ago, just like Billy). If you still cherish NHL draft picks, life as a Wild fan is hard right now.

Middleton proved last year that he doesn’t possess the capability of playing up the lineup, exposing Minnesota’s blue line depth late in the season when John Hynes was forced to move Middleton up after Jonas Brodin’s late-season injury.

That probably made this an easier move for Guerin to make

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