It was a silent first night for the Minnesota Wild at the NHL Draft, mostly because the team didn't have any picks.
Bill Guerin didn't do anything to change that, but didn't wait long on Day 2 to start making deals. The Wild owned five picks on Saturday and managed to add to that thanks to a nice little trade with the Washington Capitals.
Minnesota traded Declan Chisholm and the No. 180 pick in this year's draft for the No. 123 pick and defenseman Chase Priskie.
🚨 TRADE ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/jTA1Y8APPa
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) June 28, 2025
Getting that pick from Washington gave the Wild a third pick in the fourth round, one that they used on center Carter Klippenstein out of the WHL. He was the second center the Wild grabbed on Saturday after landing Adam Benak with the No. 102 pick.
Klippenstein stands out in more than one way, though. He's a physically bigger player, and the fact that Minnesota traded up to get him says a lot about how they view both him and that position in general. It was widely believed that the Wild would be targeting center depth, and that's exactly what happened, with a premium being paid to help address the need.
However, the move sort of creates another problem that is sure to make Wild fans anxious. By trading Chisholm to Washington. Minnesota is pretty much hoping that rookies Zeev Buium and David Jiricek develop into impact players, which is a big ask.
Buium's sample size is small, as he only joined the Wild during the playoffs after his career at Denver came to an end, but he looked every bit like a rookie with the time on ice he saw. It's a little unfair to judge him since his first action was against playoff-caliber talent, but the Wild aren't in a position where they can wait around for guys to develop and have a much tighter timeline.
Priskie is a potential depth option, but the Wild need to sign him to a contract since he's an unrestricted free agent this summer and really only has AHL experience. TO be fair, Chisholm, who filled in nicely when called up on to plug injury holes, was a restricted free agent so it's not like Minnesota bailed on a defenseman who was under contract.
Center was something the Wild needed to think about but it's clear after this trade -- as much as it's an investment in the future -- that there's plenty of work left to be done to the roster.
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