The Minnesota Wild on Tuesday acquired veteran center Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators for a 2028 second-round draft pick.
The deal could mark the first domino to fall for centers ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. Several teams were interested in acquiring McCarron, the 30-year-old who was having a career year in terms of ice time (14:30) for Nashville this season.
The Wild like McCarron's size (6-foot-6) and competitive nature and hope to use him on their penalty kill. McCarron is also strong in the faceoff circle, with a career percentage of 52.8.
Wild general manager Bill Guerin was the GM for the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2026 Winter Olympics. McCarron, a Michigan native, has played for USA Hockey, including at the 2025 World Championships, for which Guerin was also the GM.
The Wild are on a collision course to face their Central Division rivals, the Dallas Stars, in the first round of the playoffs. Minnesota hasn't made it past the first round since 2015.
Guerin, meanwhile, has been loading up to help his team break through, including a bold trade for star defenseman Quinn Hughes in December.
And sources told ESPN that even with the McCarron acquisition, the Wild are still in the mix to acquire Vincent Trocheck from the New York Rangers. The Wild put in a trade offer to the Rangers for Trocheck, sources said, but New York general manager Chris Drury is weighing all options.
