On Wednesday, the Minnesota Wild announced the team has traded talented forward Kevin Fiala to the Los Angeles Kings. In exchange, the Wild will receive this year’s first-round selection (No. 19) and defenseman prospect Brock Faber.
The trade might raise some eyebrows, especially since Fiala had an impressive 2021-22 season that saw him play 82 games and contribute with 33 goals and 52 assists for a total of 85 points. However, the 25-year-old was set to become a restricted free agent, and Minnesota would have a hard time paying him.
The Wild is entering the offseason already in salary-cap trouble, and things are only getting worse for the franchise moving forward. This is mainly due to dead cap space that came with the decision to buy out Zach Parise’s and Ryan Suter’s contracts last offseason.
Reportedly, the Kings sorted out the details of a contract extension with Fiala before even pulling the trigger on the trade. The Swiss-born player is expected to get a seven-year deal that will pay him around $8 million on an annual basis.
With no real possibility to keep Fiala on their roster, the sense is that the Wild got the best out of a bad situation. They can add young talent in the draft while receiving a player in Faber who could contribute soon. Faber played two seasons of college hockey at the University of Minnesota and was part of Team USA at the 2022 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
