The Nashville Predators traded forward Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft choice, the teams announced.
Nashville is also retaining 50% of Nyquist's salary in the deal. He's in the final season of a two-year, $6.37 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in July.
Nyquist was held out of Nashville's game against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon in anticipation of a potential trade coming to fruition. While the 35-year-old had spent time in the Predators top six rotation this season, he struggled to find chemistry in Nashville's retooled lineup and collected just nine goals and 21 points in 57 games, compared to 75 points in 81 games last year.
A change of scenery in going back to Minnesota -- a team Nyquist played three games for in 2022-23 after being traded there from Columbus -- could help Nyquist recapture some of that offensive prowess. And the Wild need a boost, too. Minnesota has lost three in a row and is mired in a litany of injury issues that include still playing without top skater Kirill Kaprizov, and now Joel Eriksson Ek is sidelined with a lower-body injury suffered in practice this week. Ryan Hartman is also out still serving an eight-game suspension; he's eligible to return on March 4.
Nyquist should slot into a middle-six spot for the Wild and help out on the penalty kill. He was fourth among Predators forwards in shorthanded ice time -- averaging 1:20 per game -- and Minnesota will tap into his kill skills to improve their woeful, 31st-ranked unit.
A native of Halmstad, Sweden, Nyquist was a fourth-round selection of the Detroit Red Wings back in 2008.
