It was early in the regular season when Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin swung a trade with the Colorado Avalanche sending Greg Pateryn to Colorado in exchange for veteran defenseman Ian Cole. Right from the get-go, the trade was a home run as the Wild hipped out a quickly fading Greg Pateryn to obtain a very serviceable player
Cole was a strong depth acquisition by the Wild he had seen time with the Pittsburgh Penguins and won two Stanley Cups during his time there.
It was a deal that Guerin had no problem making as he was an assistant general manager with Pittsburgh during Cole’s tenure and knew what he was getting in the player
Being defined as a shutdown defenseman, Cole lived up to expectations as he ranked third on the team with 92 blocked shots, and 12th overall in hits with 34 over 52 games in Minnesota.
He also has shown to be an interesting individual off the ice as well. This past week he flew with the Blue Angels in Duluth.
Wild defenseman Ian Cole was in for a wild ride with the Blue Angels. https://t.co/Ls9VnpKsRE
— Baihly Warfield WDIO (@BaihlyWDIO) June 24, 2021
The Wild should absolutely look to re-sign Cole but the veteran defenseman won’t come cheap. Cole might be looking for a two-to-three year deal at around $3.5 to $4 million per season. But being able to re-sign Cole at those terms could be worth every penny.
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The move could lessen the blow to the Wild in the case of expansion if either Matt Dumba or Carson Soucy are selected by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft.
Another case for Cole could be mentorship in which a young defenseman like Calen Addison could use as he is looking to make the jump to full-time NHL duties next season.
Wild fans like the move when Ian Cole was acquired and a lot enjoyed his play and how he has fit with the roster.
It shouldn’t be a surprise later on this summer if we find that Ian Cole will be sticking in Minnesota, something the veteran defenseman has expressed a desire in doing as well.
*Info/data was found at hockey-reference.com