Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman shared that the Minnesota Wild are wrapping up a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets to bring David Jiříček to their team. Frank Seravalli later added that Columbus will get a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Wild, while Minnesota sends Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, plus a second and fourth-round pick in 2027 to Columbus.
Jiříček was once drafted sixth overall in 2022 but has experienced ups and downs with the Blue Jackets. After scoring five goals and notching 11 points for HC Plzeň in Czechia, he was ranked highly by NHL Central Scouting before his draft year.
In his rookie season with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, Jiříček played well, scoring six goals and getting 38 points. Despite this performance, he didn’t make it to the All-Rookie Team. His standout moment came during the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship when he scored three goals and seven points over seven games for Team Czechia .
Jiříček’s Journey Continues:
Fans might think this move is a fresh start for Jiříček. He had brief stints in the NHL but didn’t score in four games during his debut season. The following year saw him play more often but still under tight control from his team; he averaged only about 14 minutes per game on ice with Columbus.
Despite limited opportunities, Jiříček showed potential as an elite two-way defenseman with an impressive save percentage of 92.4% when on ice—quite notable considering how poorly Columbus performed defensively that year. However, frequent moves between teams hindered him from gaining momentum.
By early in the next season (2024-25), things weren’t looking great for Jiříček at Columbus; he barely played under new coach Dean Evason before being sent back to AHL after just six appearances out of eighteen games.
Now joining Minnesota’s ranks alongside players like Brock Faber and Jared Spurgeon on defense could be promising for him! The left side also boasts talent such as Jonas Brodin and newcomer Zeev Buium—setting up what could become one formidable defensive line-up soon enough!
The Wild have started strong this season too: boasting fifteen wins against only four losses so far means they can afford trading away their first-rounder without much worry since it likely won’t land within lottery picks anyway!
Meanwhile over at Columbus: acquiring these extra selections boosts their total count heading into future drafts—ten now slated just for ‘27 alone thanks partly due last year’s deal involving Andrew Peeke going Boston-bound instead…
Hunt finds himself part of this exchange too albeit not quite matching profile level compared against someone like Jiriicek; having worked briefly under Evason previously should help ease transition somewhat though given familiarity already established between them both beforehand… What do you think about all these trades?
