Reports: Wild trade rumors, Zach Bogosian contract extension
Tuesday has been a busy day for the Minnesota Wild as they have reportedly neared a contract extension with defenseman Zach Bogosian and waived Vinni Lettieri and Jake Lucchini.
TSN's Darren Dreger and The Athletic's Michael Russo are both reporting the Bogosian extension news, with Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reporting hat it's a two-year deal worth $1.25 million per season. The 33-year-old was acquired by the Wild earlier this season for a seventh-round draft choice.
Bogosian inking a deal ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline could mean that the Wild has settled on its top six defensemen for the 2024-25 season, featuring Brock Faber, Jake Middleton, Jonas Brodin, Jared Spurgeon, Bogosian and Declan Chisholm or Jon Merrill.
As we've reported the past few weeks, #mnwild GM Bill Guerin wanted to keep Zach Bogosian and had been negotiating a contract extension. That is indeed close to being complete, as @DarrenDreger reported
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) March 5, 2024
Meanwhile, Lettieri and Lucchini were placed on waivers and could wind up with the Iowa Wild in the AHL or be traded. Either way, the moves help settle roster space for any trades the Wild make and the expected arrival of prospect Marat Khusnutdinov from Russia.
Russo reported Tuesday morning that Khusnutdinov could arrive in Minnesota later this week, at which point he could be centering the second or third line for the Wild.
Trade rumors
According to Daily Faceoff there remains a strong chance that Minnesota trades winger Brandon Duhaime, who has previously been linked as a potential target of the Vancouver Canucks.
"Bill Guerin’s Wild aren’t waving the white flag, but there has been enough interest league-wide in Duhaime that there is a strong chance he’ll be on the move,"
Merrill and Patrick Maroon were also listed on Daily Faceoff's list of players who could be traded before Friday's 1 p.m. CT deadline. On Maroon, the outlet wrote: "He was acquired for a seventh-round pick last summer, so he won’t cost much and could provide depth scoring and leadership if the Wild are inclined to give him a shot at a fourth Cup."
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