LAS VEGAS – There are plenty of statistics available to help evaluate players as the Minnesota Wild considered roster tweaks in the days and hours leading up to Friday’s NHL trade deadline. But for general manager Bill Guerin and coach John Hynes, the additions they eventually made to their playoff-bound roster went deeper than goals, assists and faceoff wins.
“You’re bringing in a player, but you’re also bringing in a person and you’re bringing in their family,” Hynes said following the team’s morning skate in Las Vegas ahead of their Friday night game versus the Golden Knights.
When the clock hit 2 p.m. CST and the deadline for 2026 passed, the Wild had not acquired any of the big-name centers that they were rumored to be in on for weeks. But in the addition of forwards Robby Fabbri and Michael McCarron, defenseman Jeff Petry, and the Friday morning acquisitions of forwards Bobby Brink and Nick Foligno, they feel they have players — and people — who will make a difference in the remaining regular-season games, and in the playoffs.
Brink is a native Minnesotan who starred at Minnetonka High School. Foligno is the older brother of Wild captain Marcus Foligno.
“I feel really good,” Guerin said, huddling with the media at the team hotel in Las Vegas on Friday. “We set out to create some depth up front and add to our group, and get a veteran D-man that could help us and could be there for us. So, I think we checked a lot of boxes in the last couple days and I’m excited to see what this group can do.”
Brink, 24, is coming home after spending the first three seasons of his NHL career with the Philadelphia Flyers. Known as a puck-moving winger, he has 13 goals and 13 assists in 55 games this season.
The price for Brink was defenseman David Jiricek, who never found a consistent place on the Wild’s blue line after being acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets 16 months ago. He played 25 games for the Wild without recording a point this season and played 24 games with Iowa of the AHL.
Brink, who was flying cross-country from Philadelphia to join the Wild in time for Friday’s game, was expected to fill a bottom-six, right-wing role, initially, with Danila Yurov at center, but Guerin saw offensive options in Brink, who led Minnetonka to the Class 2A state championship in 2018.
“In a perfect world, I would probably see him on our third line but that doesn’t mean he can’t bump up to two or one for spurts, who knows?” Guerin said. “Let’s see what happens and how he fits in. He’s a versatile guy.”
Nick Foligno is 38 years old and was in his third season with the Blackhawks after previous stops with the Ottawa Senators, Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. He had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 37 games for Chicago this season after missing significant time due to an upper-body injury.
In the faceoff circle, Foligno has won a little more than 49% of his draws this season. He has done as well as 56% earlier in his career. Marcus is currently on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, so an actual reunion on the ice will have to wait a little bit longer.
Guerin joked that there were no hard feelings, despite the fact that he had tried and failed to sign the elder Foligno a few times in free agency previously.
“I tried to get Nick three times before, so I guess fourth time’s the charm,” Guerin said. “Just like his brother, he’s an A-plus human and you know, his experience, the way he plays the game, his character, all those things, he brings a lot to the table for us.”
In addition to Jiricek going to Philadelphia, the Wild sent fourth-line winger Vinnie Hinostroza to Florida for future considerations.
“We feel like we have a really good team, and not only a good team on the ice, but off the ice, and Vinnie was a big part of that,” Hynes said. “He worked hard for us, played an important role, and, so, I appreciate what he did and it’s tough to see him go.”
The Wild were rumored to be pursuing top-line centers like the Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck and Calgary’s Nazem Kadri but neither move materialized. Trocheck stayed put, while Kadri went to Colorado in a last minute move.
“There were some great players available, but you know, the asking prices were extremely high,” Guerin said. “I feel like we strengthened our team in different ways. At some point in time, you still have to be responsible and do the right thing.”
Most notably for the Wild, they held on to forward prospect Charlie Stramel and backup goalie Jesper Wallstedt — both first-round picks that were reportedly sought after by potential trading partners.
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