The Wild roster had a makeover in the offseason. Here are seven new players who could have an impact in 2021.
New additions to this season's Wild roster
Here are seven new players who could have an impact in 2021.
January 12, 2021 at 4:11AM
Marcus Johansson: In a surprising deal, the Wild sent center and top scorer Eric Staal to the Sabres for Johansson, who is starting out at wing in Minnesota. GM Bill Guerin said the deal would make the Wild younger and quicker up front. Johansson, 30, played in the 2019 Cup Final with Boston and has 129 goals in 648 NHL games.
Cam Talbot: Signed as a free agent to replace three-time All-Star goalie Devan Dubnyk, who was dealt to San Jose, Talbot had a rebound season in Calgary in 2019-20. The 33-year-old figures to play a lot with backup Alex Stalock sidelined because of an upper body injury.
Nick Bonino: An NCAA champion at Boston University in 2009 and a two-time Stanley Cup winner with Pittsburgh (2016-17), the veteran forward has played the past three seasons for Nashville. Bonino, 32, was acquired, along with draft picks, for Luke Kunin, a promising forward who due a big raise as a restricted free agent.
Kirill Kaprizov: The Wild's fifth round pick in 2015, the 23-year-old forward blossomed from an unknown into one of the best known international players, captaining Russia's junior national team and winning gold in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea. He led the Kontinental Hockey League in goals the past two seasons. Expectations are high.
Nick Bjugstad: The former Gophers center, 28, was acquired from Pittsburgh for a conditional pick in the 2021 draft, and comes to Minnesota hoping to revive his career. A first-round pick (19th overall) by Florida in 2010, he had a 24-goal season in 2014-15 and 49 points in 2017-18 for the Panthers before a trade to the Penguins in 2019. Surgery to repair a herniated disc ended his 2019-20 season.
Marco Rossi: Rossi was the Wild's first round pick (ninth overall) in October, and captained Team Austria in the world junior tournament. The 19-year-old center faces long odds to make the team out of camp, which was cut short for him because of quarantine.
Andrew Hammond: The "Hamburglar" had an epic 2014-15 season in goal for Ottawa, but has toiled mostly in the minors since then. The 32-year-old was signed as insurance when Stalock couldn't start the season.
Correction: Previous versions of this article misstated the year Nick Bjugstad was drafted. It was 2010.
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