Bill Guerin turned Thursday into a busy day when he moved Freddy Gaudreau in a salary dump that was just one of two moves on the day. The MN Wild general manager also acquired some forward depth in the form of Cameron Butler.

Cameron Butler lands with Minnesota Wild in trade

Last season forward Brendan Gaunce played in just 12 games for the Minnesota Wild. Geurin found him expendable and sent the 30-year-old to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Cameron Butler.

The #CBJ acquire Brendan Gaunce from #MNWild for Cameron Butler.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 26, 2025

Butler didn’t play in the NHL last season after making a one-game cameo for Columbus in 2023-24. He is now 23 years old and gives the MN Wild some addition depth with added youth.

Last season with the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL, Butler played in 37 games. He had two goals and one assist while generating a -5 plus-minus. He also had 74 penalty minutes.

Prior to his time in the AHL, Butler played in 257 games across four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. He has 74 goals and 80 assists to account for a total 154 points. Of his 74 goals, 23 came on the power play.

Related: Minnesota Wild Trade Away Forward in Salary Dump Move

Minnesota is still looking for center help, and Butler won’t represent that. He does give head coach John Hynes some additional linemaking options, and it’s possible that he’ll see more run with the Wild than Gaunce did.

Butler signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Columbus back in 2023.

Through all of the injuries, the Wild have continued to win and stay very much alive in the Western Conference playoff conversation. They’ve done so, in part thanks to successful call ups from Iowa. On Thursday, president of hockey operations Bill Guerin recalled yet another forward prospect to fill in while the Wild wait to see when/if Kaprizov and Ek will be able to return.

Brendan Gaunce back to the Minnesota Wild

The lucky forward who received the call this time around is former first round NHL Draft pick Brendan Gaunce, who was selected with the 26th overall pick back in 2012. Now 30 years old, with 182 NHL games under his belt, this will be Gauce’s 6th appearance on the season in Minnesota, his first in a Wild sweater.

#mnwild recall Brendan Gaunce to be their extra forward on two-game trip

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 27, 2025

In his five games on the active roster this season, Brendan Gaunce is averaging 9:29 time on ice. He has yet to record a point, and has only put four of his 11 shots on goal. In his 9-year NHL career, the Ontario, CA native has scored 13 goals and accumulated 28 total points.

Related: Minnesota Wild Trade Aging Defense Prospect for Kings Forward

In 35 games for the Iowa Wild this season, Gaunce has potted 15 goals and assisted on 14 more (29 points). His plus-minus is an unfortunate -15, but the former Belleville Bull has poured in a trio of game winning goals down on the farm, as well.

Brendan Gaunce closed out 2024 with his second hat trick of the season. 🎩@IAWild pic.twitter.com/G5bldpXDFc

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) January 1, 2025

The Wild will be looking to bounce back from their loss against the Detroit Red Wings in their last time out. After a 2-0 lead they gave up three straight and dropped the game by a 3-2 tally. Minnesota’s 72 points have them third in the Central Division of the Western Conference.

Head coach John Hynes is going to be without his captain and veteran defenseman for some time. Although the Wild may have dodged a more serious bullet there, the roster continues to need talent from Iowa.

Minnesota Wild moving and shaking roster

Back home against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night, the Minnesota Wild will have a handful of new players on the bench, including Travis Boyd, Brendan Gaunce and Carson Lambos. Hynes has players unavailable at multiple positions, so general manager Bill Guerin needed to coordinate multiple travel plans.

With #mnwild dealing with injuries and illnesses, forwards Travis Boyd and Brendan Gaunce recalled and defenseman Carson Lambos. Jared Spurgeon placed on IR.

— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) January 6, 2025

Minnesota sends Spurgeon to injured reserve after he has played in 32 games this season. The defenseman has four goals and 13 points while averaging just shy of 21 minutes on the ice. After playing just 16 games last season, he certainly can’t be looking forward to more missed time.

It’s a good thing that defensemen Jacob Middleton is trending towards a return. Illnesses also shouldn’t have Mats Zuccarello and Freddy Gaudreau out too long. That doesn’t mean Kirill Kaprizov is any closer to returning though, and it’s going to be a bit for Spurgeon.

Bogosian: maintenance
Zuccarello: illness
Gaudreau: illness
Middleton: return “imminent”
Lauko: first real practice so still unsure on timeline

No update on Kaprizov or Spurgeon. Kirill still not skating.#mnwild https://t.co/6a8T03nPLx

— Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) January 6, 2025

Related: NHL Insider Urges Minnesota Wild to Trade for Old Friend

Travis Boyd has played in three games for the Wild this season. He has three total shot attempts and has a total of 23:25 minutes on the ice while recording three blocks. His next game will be his 300th career across eight NHL seasons. The Hopkins native has to appreciate every opportunity on his hometown team.

“Childhood dreams are meant to come true”

🗣️ Travis Boyd on growing up a massive Wild and Golden Gopher fan#mnwild pic.twitter.com/JcKfojCsP2

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 25, 2024

Gaunce is a former first round pick that is in his first season with Minnesota. He has played five games this year and has four shots on goal. Gaunce has recorded six hits and the center is looking for his first goal since recording a pair last season with Columbus.

The Wild made Carson Lambos their first round pick at 26th overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has yet to appear in an NHL game. In 27 games for Iowa this season, Lambos has two goals and three assists. The defenseman has also taken seven penalty minutes.

It remains to be seen what condition the Wild depth will be in on Tuesday. It’s possible that there is more shuffling prior to puck drop at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota continues to be tested, and keeps rising to the occasion.