Two of the Colorado Avalanche’s Central Division rivals pulled off a trade on Tuesday night. The Minnesota Wild acquired depth forward Michael McCarron for a 2028 second-round pick.Â
On the surface, the deal seems like a minor one. The Wild got a bottom-six forward to bolster their lineup. While the move is certainly a useful one, it’s a gross overpay by spending a second-round pick on a depth guy.
It’s also a far cry from some of the moves the Wild reportedly had in the works. The biggest rumor leading up to the 2026 NHL trade deadline has been New York Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck. The Wild have been looking to shore up their depth down the middle after jettisoning former top-line center Marco Rossi in the Quinn Hughes trade.
There is still time for the Wild to pull off a major trade to land the center they’ve been looking for. But as it stands, this could be a highly disappointing trade deadline for Wild fans.
Why McCarron trade makes sense for both sides
This trade actually makes sense for both sides. Firstly, the Wild got the depth piece they needed to boost their bottom six. McCarron is a gritty forward who can mix it up with the best of them. Considering the Wild’s playoff path will take them through Dallas and Colorado, they Wild will be looking to have grinders.Â
In particular, the Wild will face a tough-checking team in the Dallas Stars. That’s why stocking up on gritty guys makes sense.Â
As for a potential matchup with the Avalanche, McCarron could be a good matchup guy against the Avs’ top six. McCarron will ideally be deployed against the likes of tough customers such as Gabriel Landeskog, Valeri Nichushkin and Josh Manson.
From the Predators’ perspective, the deal had been in the cards for a while. There was plenty of chatter surrounding McCarron given his expiring contract this year. The former first-round pick will become a UFA this summer. That's why getting a second-round pick for a guy who has a total of 74 points in 361 NHL games, on an expiring contract, was the sort of deal the Predators could not pass up.
But there’s one other dimension to this deal on Nashville’s part. That second-rounder could become part of a package in another deal. The Preds believe they still have a shot at the playoffs. So, this deal could end up becoming a precursor to a bigger one.
It remains to be seen what, if anything, may be coming down the pipeline for the Avalanche’s division rivals.