Wild trade Maroon to Boston, Dewar to Toronto on deadline day
Minnesota Wild's Marcus Johansson (90) celebrates his goal with Pat Maroon (20) and Frederick Gaudreau (89) during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
The Minnesota Wild made a few trades Friday ahead of the NHL trade deadline.
A day after sending forward Brandon Duhaime to Colorado, the Wild traded veteran winger and two-time Stanley Cup champion Pat Maroon to Boston, a source confirmed to KSTP Sports Friday morning. The team has since announced the deal.
In exchange, the Wild got a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2026 and AHL forward Luke Toporowski.
The Wild acquired Maroon from Tampa Bay back in November for a seventh-round draft pick.
In 49 games this season, he tallied 16 points (4-12=16) but has been out with an injury since the end of January. He’s expected to be able to return to action later this month, and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Toporowski, 22, was signed by the Bruins as an undrafted free agent and has recorded 46 points (22-24=46) in the AHL across 96 games the past two seasons, including 17 points (7-10=17) this season.
Then, the team shipped center Connor Dewar to the Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round draft pick and AHL forward Dmitry Ovchinnikov.
The Wild say Ovchinnikov, 21, will continue to play with the Toronto Marlies despite the trade. He’s played 31 AHL games over the past three seasons for the Marlies, recording 12 points (9-3=12). He also has played in 103 games in the KHL from 2019-23, posting 17 points (6-11=17). The Russian center was selected 137th overall by Toronto in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Dewar, Minnesota’s third-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, played 173 games for the Wild over the past three seasons, tallying 38 points (18-20=38). He’s set to be a restricted free agent this summer.
The club also made a minor swap with the New York Rangers, sending depth forward Nic Petan to New York for depth forward Turner Elston. Both players have spent the majority of the season in the AHL and are on expiring deals.
While Minnesota won Thursday night, the club is still out of a playoff spot and could be inclined to make a couple more moves before the trade deadline.