When the season began, it looked like Vinnie Hinostroza wasn't going to be part of the Minnesota Wild's plans. Nico Sturm was brought back into the Minnesota Wild organization to fill a role in the bottom-six, help the team defensively, and win some face-offs. The rookies like Danila Yurov and Liam Ohgren were getting some playing time. Yet, injuries up and down the roster provided an opportunity for Hinostroza to appear in 47 games. However, based on recent moves, his run with the team could be coming to an end.
The first warning shot came when Bill Guerin brought in Robby Fabbri off of the waiver wire. Then, on Tuesday, the team sent a 2028 second-round pick to the Nashville Predators for Michael McCarron, a big, physical center who wins face-offs. The first move resulted in Tyler Pitlick being placed on waivers, the second one could result in Hinostroza being placed in the press box.
While both players brought in are listed as centers, there is a good chance at least one of them will be playing out on the wing. That is the case with Fabbri, who is set to make his debut against the Tampa Bay Lightning while skating with Hinostroza and Nico Sturm on the fourth line.
Once McCarron joins the team the roster starts to get a little crowded. It's likely that the former Nashville Predator will take Sturm's spot centering the fourth line and the batter for a spot in the line-up will come down to Sturm and Hinostroza. Both haven't contributed much offensively as Hinostroza has 10 points in 47 games while Sturm has 9 in 38. The big difference could be the fact that Sturm takes more face-offs and is winning them at a 54.5% clip. That's a key stat for a team that is currently ranked 31st in face-off percentage in the league.
Hinostroza is in the second year of a two-year deal that carriers a cap hit of $775,000 and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. It hasn't been a great run for the 31-year-old in Minnesota. Over the course of two seasons he's appeared in 72 games with 8 goals and 10 assists.
With Marcus Foligno on injured reserve, Hinostroza will likely stay on the roster barring any other moves prior to the trade deadline. Should they acquire another player, or Foligno rejoins the team, the Chicago native will likely be placed on waivers and re-assigned to Iowa if he clears.
Guerin hasn't pulled the trigger on a big deal since the Quinn Hughes trade, but he has done a decent job over the last two days of strengthening the bottom-six. Unfortunately, it comes at a cost to players on the roster, and it appears Vinnie Hinostroza might be the one that pays it.