Wild Trade for Big Center Nick Bjugstad

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

From NHL .com
https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/wild-acquires-center-nick-bjugstad-from-the-pittsburgh-penguins-091120/c-318994116

 

 

Wild trade a conditional 2021 draft pick...at this time, I don't have what the conditions are, so if anyone else has it, post.

Big center, former 1st round selection, still only 28, can hit, can score a bit........ but a reclamation project due to his offense being highly inconsistent and not being able to stay healthy on the ice.

Good news here is, he is on an expiring contract (one that carries a 4.1M cap hit...which the Pens are retaining a portion of), so if it turns out in the coming season that he simply cannot do anything for the team, Wild can just let him go.
But if he can be helpful to the team, Minnesota may have a decent top 9 big center (hopefully top six), while they sort out their various other areas of need and/or younger guys develop.

Wouldn't say I am excited about this signing, but, "interesting" would be a better word, if only because of the possible upside if he can get back to his form, of say, oh 2017-18 where he had a career high 49 pts (19G, 30A) over a full 82 game season playing for an offensively challenged Florida Panthers team.
If he stays healthy, maybe he sets new career highs.

Hometown boy and former University of Minnesota product as well.

[notfondajane]

7 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

From NHL .com
https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/wild-acquires-center-nick-bjugstad-from-the-pittsburgh-penguins-091120/c-318994116

 

 

Wild trade a conditional 2021 draft pick...at this time, I don't have what the conditions are, so if anyone else has it, post.

Big center, former 1st round selection, still only 28, can hit, can score a bit........ but a reclamation project due to his offense being highly inconsistent and not being able to stay healthy on the ice.

Good news here is, he is on an expiring contract (one that carries a 4.1M cap hit...which the Pens are retaining a portion of), so if it turns out in the coming season that he simply cannot do anything for the team, Wild can just let him go.
But if he can be helpful to the team, Minnesota may have a decent top 9 big center (hopefully top six), while they sort out their various other areas of need and/or younger guys develop.

Wouldn't say I am excited about this signing, but, "interesting" would be a better word, if only because of the possible upside if he can get back to his form, of say, oh 2017-18 where he had a career high 49 pts (19G, 30A) over a full 82 game season playing for an offensively challenged Florida Panthers team.
If he stays healthy, maybe he sets new career highs.

Hometown boy and former University of Minnesota product as well.

Here's hoping the pick is in the top 2! I'm getting tired of trading high picks and getting low ones.

[bbgarnett]

Bad trade for Pittsburgh only get a conditional 7th and retain 50%. Conditions are 70 games played or 35 pts. So we basically get a free reclamation project IMO 

Edited September 12, 2020 by bbgarnett

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

1 minute ago, bbgarnett said:

Bad trade for Pittsburgh only get a conditional 7th and retain 50%. Conditions are 70 games played or 35 pts. 

 

Ah, so that's it?
Then the Wild made out a bit better than I initially thought then.

Can't go wrong giving up that kind of pick for a player who could possibly get back to an upward track.
If he doesn't, well, Minnesota has lost nothing in the whole process.

[bbgarnett]

Yes and he's a Minnesota kid so he'll already be on the fans good side

[lynxrattle]

Sounds ok to me as well. We get to throw the dice and see if Bjugstad can recover from his injuries, Bjugstad gets an opportunity to redeem himself, and PIT gets rid of him and makes a bit of cap space room. The fans get another home boy. If Bjugstad fails, it's only one year, in a year the Wild is not going to be a contender anyways.

[EmptyShelf]

This is a NO LOSE acquisition for the Wild.  Not sure how it will work out, but a nice one-year audition.  Great size and a bit faster than Koivu.   I wonder if they would have pulled the trigger on this experiment if Klyde had not retired?  It sure creates options when the dead WOOD are out of the way.  How can we move the other two quickly?  Get Parise to the Isles, or Suter to .....anywhere.  I doubt there would be many takers without us assuming most of their contract for that first year, however.  

[yave1964]

I watch a ton of Big Ten college and i remember watching him, he stood out for his size and hands, i thought he would be a fantastic player. He looked like one early for Florida until concussion and other injuries robbed him. By the time he hit Pittsburgh he was a shell of his former self. Always a favorite of mine i hope he reclaims some of the abilities he showed early.

[CreaseAndAssist]

Wild Trade Conditional 7th round pick in 2021 to Pittsburgh for Nick Bjugstad

 

Meh.  Nick Bjugstad is so good, the Penguins just paid $2 million to get rid of him.  The Wild essentially risked nothing or virtually nothing in this deal.  I love how the other fans jumped in to tell us about Nick Bjugstad as though we haven't seen him play since he was in high school or anything like that.  I hope Bjugstad understands that this just may be his 'last' NHL chance to show he deserves to stick around in the league.  Either way, he gives the team another center with just 'ok' speed and maybe some flashes of offense.  Its like Pokemon with this club for stockpiling ok skaters.  Collect 'em all!  The conditions are listed in my article.  

 

9 hours ago, bbgarnett said:

Yes and he's a Minnesota kid so he'll already be on the fans good side

 

This is the part that is annoying.  Why should it matter where he's from?  I don't see understand that's such a priority for some people.  

[bbgarnett]

It shouldn't matter but I just know dumb and dumber will try and hype up his Minnesota roots and so will Pierre Mcguire on NBCSN broadcasts. Also think the team will as well to some extent, just to try and get some token cheers. I could care less where your from, it could be from Minnesota or it could be Antarctica for that matter as long as your a good player that's what matters. If your not a good player and or not performing then you get booed regardless of your hockey roots. 

Edited September 12, 2020 by bbgarnett

[CreaseAndAssist]

Amen to that.  I don't care about where they are from.  Can they make this team better, and at this point; make us a faster and younger team.  Bjugstad is younger, but faster is debateable.  We'll see how long he can stay healthy.  

[bbgarnett]

I think the Minnesota wild are truly like the Island of misfit toys.

[EmptyShelf]

8 hours ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

Amen to that.  I don't care about where they are from.  Can they make this team better, and at this point; make us a faster and younger team.  Bjugstad is younger, but faster is debateable.  We'll see how long he can stay healthy.  

Agreed.  Though, there are guys in the 50+ year old mens league that are faster than Koivu was.  So, if he is our 3rd or 4th C, it would be a speed improvement over Koivu, which still isn't saying too much.  I see no downside, and he should know that he is probably on his last opportunity (without a minor league flyer).  I think both he and Galchenyuk better train hard and realize that opportunities are becoming very scarce for them.

[Alexandron]

Just looked through Nick Bjugstad stats and his size. He is 2010 1st round pick; 19 overall; world champion (bronze medal) and U20 world champion (bronze medal). Also he has a pretty good size. Hope, he will stay out of injuries. Probably, injuries is his  main downside. One year tryout for Minnesotan in Minnesota is not bad at all. Personally for me is important to have few Minnesota native players in the team, because Minnesota is a State of Hockey  and should always have them as an undisclosed rule. We need to look for the most talented one. I just do not understand why our Minnesotan hardworking talented prospect defenseman Menell(84 assists in last 2 years in AHL) did not have a full year tryout in the big club or at least 50 games , but only 5 games? And now he is in Belarus having 6 assists in 4 games. Last game they beat Spartak team in Moscow in OT with a score 4:3. Menell had an assist in that game as well as lodnia too.

[Hockey-78]

On 9/12/2020 at 7:23 AM, EmptyShelf said:

This is a NO LOSE acquisition for the Wild.  Not sure how it will work out, but a nice one-year audition.  Great size and a bit faster than Koivu.   I wonder if they would have pulled the trigger on this experiment if Klyde had not retired?  It sure creates options when the dead WOOD are out of the way.  How can we move the other two quickly?  Get Parise to the Isles, or Suter to .....anywhere.  I doubt there would be many takers without us assuming most of their contract for that first year, however.  

Well, maybe money wise but this could be a waste of time. Like you said, a one-year audition but I don't know about "nice". A drowning man clutching a straw?

 

When you acquire players off-season the initial idea is to improve your team, I think. Bjugstad is obviously not a clear improvement when you take into consideration his CV. IMO acquiring any forward, who isn't a fast skater, and slot him in the TOP6 forwards is a roll of the dice.

 

And then after this Brodin gets his lucrative extension - Guerin is playing it safe.

 

 

 

 

[Gnarkill]

Not hyped about this deal but don't hate it either.. low risk and he's under 30. The Wild need depth in the middle badly.. so if he stays healthy and it works out great.. if not .. cut him loose.. no biggie. 

 

I actually am relieved to see Guerin kicking tires on deals like this instead of just going after a declining veteran center. I'd rather see what Bjugstad can do for a season than lock up another old overpaid player for multiple years. 

 

 

 

[Hockey-78]

10 hours ago, Gnarkill said:

Not hyped about this deal but don't hate it either.. low risk and he's under 30. The Wild need depth in the middle badly.. so if he stays healthy and it works out great.. if not .. cut him loose.. no biggie. 

 

I actually am relieved to see Guerin kicking tires on deals like this instead of just going after a declining veteran center. I'd rather see what Bjugstad can do for a season than lock up another old overpaid player for multiple years. 

 

Pretty safe to say now he decided to lock up Brodin and give him slightly more and for longer than needed to. No money left to overpay anyone anymore without making something extraordinaire.

 

A marketing stunt to go public with the Bjugstad deal prior Brodin's extension? Otherwise people would've been "oh, we had to take Bjugstad since we couldn't afford anyone else".

 

Unless he's in talks with some team to get their #1 or #2 center in exchange with one of Wild's top paid D-man who has a NMC... oh wait. 

 

Someone has to go, Guerin has used all of his leverage and every GM in the league knows that. Dubnyk I guess and that we know won't be enough.

[Icechipper]

Well, he was Mr. Hockey Minnesota. His bio mentions core surgery and leg injuries. Hope he has no underlying concussion issues we don't know about.....

[Fargocase]

Why not?  Nothing to lose.  He sucks, so what?  He's decent - Great!  Free player.  Not like he's taking anyone's spot.  The Wild has ZERO Top 2 Line Centers.

[CreaseAndAssist]

We had one, we traded him, albeit an aging one.  Still, a low, low risk move kind of like what the Wild did with Alexandre Daigle years back when they signed him to a three-way contract.