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Minnesota Wild: Franchise 5 Worst Trades of All-Time

By Cody Defoe

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 17: A general view of the Xcel Energy Center before Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild on April 17, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 17: A general view of the Xcel Energy Center before Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Winnipeg Jets and the Minnesota Wild on April 17, 2018 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Minnesota Wild
BUFFALO, NY – NOVEMBER 22: Mikko Koivu #9 of the Minnesota Wild skates up ice with the puck as Marco Scandella #6 of the Buffalo Sabres defends during the first period at the KeyBank Center on November 22, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) /

(Dis)Honorable Mention

With the Las Vegas NHL Expansion Draft looming on the horizon, and paranoia over who could possibly be lost to expansion, the Wild made a trade to try to safeguard some assets while getting something in return rather than losing a top player for nothing.

With that, Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville found themselves traded to the Buffalo Sabres along with a 4th Round Entry Draft Pick in exchange for Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno, and a 3rd Round Entry Draft Pick.

The most recent big trade by the Minnesota Wild is on the cusp of reaching this list, but it is still too recent to determine the long term reaching effects.

Scandella was a Top 4 D in Minnesota at the time, but would have to be left unprotected as he would be #4 and the Wild could only protect 3. Marco played all 82 games on Buffalo’s top defensive pairing, the majority of time spent with Top D Rasmus Ristolainen, finishing with 22 points on the year.

Pominville also played all 82 games for Buffalo, but recorded career lows with only 34 points for the season. He has become a bottom 6 forward, not getting top line minutes anymore, but appears to have enough left in the tank to be a weapon for the Sabres. Both players are still on the Sabres roster for the 2018-19 season.

In Minnesota, Tyler Ennis played only 73 games and recorded 22 points. He was frequently a healthy scratch for coach Boudreau, and when he was on the ice it was only as a 4th liner. His contract was bought out at the beginning of the summer, and he has since joined the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Marcus Foligno played 71 games for the Wild, recording 13 points, but his value was never highly projected for his scoring ability. Foligno is a strong back checker, and a power forward who has established a place in the lineup as a checking line player. He spent last year in an “energy” role with Joel Eriksson Ek on the 4th line.

Buffalo selected Linus Cranholm with the 4th round pick in this year’s draft, a stay-at-home defenseman playing in the Swedish Elite League. Minnesota used the 3rd round pick to select Jack McBain, a big center set to start his first year in the NCAA with Boston College

The draft picks, and the fact most players are still with their respective teams, make this one hard to judge. The buyout of Tyler Ennis after 1 season, as he was the expected prize of the trade, put this in the loss category so far, but McBain could prove to be a steal in the 3rd round.

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