A few days after Jordan Schroeder was informed by the Wild that the team didn't plan to tender him a qualifying offer, the Wild's giving him a chance by sending him to the Columbus Blue Jackets for minor-leaguer Dante Salituro.
If QOed by Monday, Schroeder, 26, will be a restricted free agent rather than an unrestricted free agent.
The Lakeville native and 2009 first-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks is headed to his third team. He scored 11 goals and 25 points in 88 games over parts of three seasons for the Wild. He scored 13 points in 37 games this season yet didn't play in the playoffs.
Salituro, 20, is a 5-9, 175-pound right-shot center that will be a depth player in Iowa. He played 12 games in the ECHL last season and finished up with the OHL London Knights. He scored 37 and 38 goals his last two full seasons with OHL Ottawa.
He has two years left on a two-way contract that pays him $725,000 in the NHL and $70,000 in the minors, per capfriendly.
If something big comes down with the Wild, it'll most likely occur closer to tonight's draft.
Marco Scandella is the most likely defenseman to go. I still think it would be mostly for futures (picks/prospects). Again, unless the Wild plans on trading one of Mikael Granlund or Nino Niederreiter, they don't have the cap space to re-sign them and conduct the rest of business this summer if a trade brings a significant contract back.
Also, as I reported in today's paper via sources, Bob Woods is definitely the Wild's new assistant coach. I hear he attended the Wild draft dinner last night and I saw him walk into the NHL coaching meeting today.
