With the trades the Minnesota Wild have been making, it got to the point where it was too much, apparently. Therefore, general manager Bill Guerin found a willing trade partner for their depth forward Vinnie Hinostroza. The team that answered the phone was, none other than Florida Panther general manager Bill Zito. In return, the Wild receive future considerations. Let’s discuss.
The Minnesota Wild Trade Vinnie Hinostroza to the Florida Panthers
The Minnesota Wild have been loading up, especially recently. Today alone they have added Nick Foligno and Bobby Brink, in solid moves as upgrades. Also, they had received a boost from Florida, in acquiring defenceman Jeff Petry just yesterday. Needless to say, they are basically all-in for a 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff run.
However, with all those additions, it made sense that players would become expendable. Even though it isn’t a lot, trading Hinostroza frees up his salary of $775K, as well as the roster spot. As of print, according to PuckPedia, the Wild have a little over $6 million in deadline salary cap space available. Therefore, they could very well have one target in mind. Given the price tag specifically, Brayden Schenn might come to mind, and conveniently plays in the same time zone. But that is mere conjecture.
Looking at Hinostroza, Statistically Speaking
For Hinostroza, he is almost 32, and has played 460 career NHL games. His career best season came back in 2018-19, as a member of the…Arizona Coyotes. That year he had career highs in goals (16), assists (23), points (39), games (72), ice time (15:16), you name it really. This marks his return to Florida in fact, as he appeared in nine games for them in 2020-21. He has played for seven NHL teams in total. Furthermore, this season he has three goals and seven assists for ten points in 48 games played, in a little over 10 minutes of ice time.
Main Photo Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images