7 Biggest Trades in Minnesota Wild History, Ranked

The Minnesota Wild have a unique way of doing business in the NHL.

While the Wild have made some massive signings in free agency and they’ve drafted well, they rarely pull off blockbuster deals. 

In fact, you could argue that no NHL team has been quieter in the trade market than the Wild since they joined the league for the 2000-2001 season.

That doesn’t mean we can’t revisit some of the deals Minnesota has pulled off in its 25-year history. 

7 Biggest Minnesota Wild Trades in Team History

1. Brent Burns and a Second-Round Pick for Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, and a First-Round Pick   

This deal was struck at the 2011 NHL Draft and changed the fortunes of the Wild and San Jose Sharks in a big way.

Brent Burns was considered one of the best young defencemen in the NHL at the time of the trade, but the Wild felt he was expendable in their search for more offensive upside.

So the Wild sent Burns to San Jose for 30-goal scorer Devin Setoguchi and youngster Charlie Coyle.

The move was viewed as a gamble when it was struck, and it’s clear now it didn’t pay off.

Burns would become a franchise icon with the Sharks during their golden generation. He won the Norris Trophy in 2017 and played a vital role in San Jose reaching its only Stanley Cup Finals in 2016. San Jose regularly boasted some of the shortest NHL odds to win the Western Conference during Burns’ tenure.

Setoguchi struggled to find his scoring touch with the Wild, while Coyle was traded to the Boston Bruins a few years later.

2. Kevin Fiala for Brock Faber and a First-Round Pick

You can count this as a win-win for the Los Angeles Kings and Wild, but as time goes on this could end up being the most important trade in Minnesota’s history.

Kevin Fiala is a 30-goal and 80-point threat, but the Wild had to move him after his 85-point outburst in 2021-2022 because of a salary cap crunch.

The Wild didn’t have much leverage because the entire league knew they had to move the Swiss scorer, so the fact that they were able to land Brock Faber is a massive win.

Faber finished second in Calder Trophy voting in 2023-2024 and was part of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. 

Don’t be surprised if Faber boasts some of the shortest hockey odds to win the Norris Trophy for 2025-2026 and beyond.

3. Second-Round Pick for Marc-Andre Fleury

One of the most beloved players of his generation, Marc-Andre Fleury looked like he was on the brink of retirement before this move at the 2022 trade deadline.

Looking for more depth in goal, the Wild acquired the four-time Stanley Cup champion for a second-round pick, hoping that his experience would propel Minnesota in the playoffs.

That didn’t happen, but Fleury stuck around Minnesota for the next three seasons.

4. Cam Talbot for Filip Gustavsson

This looked like a swap of two backup goaltenders, but quickly became much more than that for the Wild.

While Gustavsson struggled to make a positive impact with the Senators, he completely turned his career around in his first season with the Wild, posting a .931 save percentage in 39 starts. 

Gustavsson’s numbers dipped in 2023-2024, but he bounced back the next season and it looks like he could be a franchise cornerstone.

5. Mikael Granlund for Kevin Fiala

It’s noted above how important the Brock Faber acquisition was for the Wild, but that doesn’t happen if Minnesota didn’t swap Mikael Granlund for Kevin Fiala in a change-of-scenery deal.

Both Granlund and Fiala flashed for their respective teams in the early part of their respective careers, but both Nashville and Minnesota grew frustrated with their inconsistent play. 

Rather than try to solve it themselves, the two clubs swapped the talented forwards for one another in 2019.

6. Cal Clutterbuck and a Third-Round Pick for Nino Niederreiter

This trade looked like a massive coup for the Wild at first, but now serves as a reminder that it’s best to save judgment until things play out.

Nino Niederreiter was a former No. 5 overall pick, but the New York Islanders were happy to move him for Cal Clutterbuck, a bottom-six winger known for his physicality.

The hockey world laughed at the Isles at first, but the trade worked out for both teams. 

Clutterbuck played for a decade on Long Island, while Niederreiter put together some impressive seasons in Minnesota before being dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes. 

7. Martin Havlat for Dany Heatley

Dany Heatley was one of the best scorers in the NHL during his prime, but the Wild acquired the two-time 50-goal man on the other side of his salad days.

Heatley was effective in his first season with the Wild, but he never enjoyed the resurgence that the Wild were hoping for when they acquired him in 2011.