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Minnesota Wild: Franchise 5 Best Trades of All-Time

By Cody Defoe

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 15: A general view of Xcel Energy Center before game 3 of a round one Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets on April 15, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Jets 6-2. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 15: A general view of Xcel Energy Center before game 3 of a round one Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets on April 15, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The Wild defeated the Jets 6-2. (Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Wild
Manny Fernandez #35 of the Minnesota Wild prior to the game against the Colorado Avalanche on February 28, 2006 at Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NHLImages) /

#4 – Minnesota Wild acquires Manny Fernandez

It was in this pre-expansion draft trading window in July 2000 that inaugural general manager Doug Risebrough made the biggest trade of his time as team GM.

Risebrough knew that starting goalies would be hard to come by in expansion, so he gave some of the future in order to have a starting goalie he thought he could trust.

The Minnesota Wild acquired goalie Emmanuel “Manny” Fernandez from the Dallas Stars along with defenseman Brad Lukowich in exchange for a 3rd round draft pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft and a 4th round draft pick in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Brad Lukowich never suited up in a game for the Minnesota Wild, as he was traded back to Dallas only 2 weeks later

Dallas actually dealt the 4th Round pick in 2002 back to the Wild in a trade to reacquire Lukowich, so in a way neither Lukowich nor that draft pick (which ultimately became Aaron Rome drafted by the Los Angeles Kings after further trading) ultimately play into this trade.

The 3rd round pick sent to Dallas ended up being Joel Lundqvist, twin brother of New York Rangers legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Joel played parts of 3 seasons with the Stars, recording 26 points over 134 games before signing to return to his home in Sweden, never returning to the NHL.

Manny Fernandez, meanwhile, made his mark on every Minnesota Wild fan over 6 seasons as a tandem starter alongside Jamie McLennan, Dwayne Roloson, and eventually Niklas Backstrom. He played in 260 regular season games, with 113 wins, a 2.47 GAA, and a .914 Sv% along with 12 shutouts.

Backstrom also left a lasting impression on the State of Hockey in the 2003 NHL Playoffs, when he came into Game 5 of the 1st round as a replacement for Dwayne Roloson and proceeded to bring the team back from a 3-1 series deficit to upset the Colorado Avalanche in 7 games and win the first playoff series in franchise history.

Fernandez also co-won the William M Jennings Trophy with Niklas Backstrom in 2006-07 for fewest goals allowed by a team in the season. This is a fantastic list of accomplishments for only 6 seasons with a team. There really is no comparison here, Fernandez was clearly a huge win in this trade.

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