The Minnesota Wild announced two trades on 11/10. The first was trading defenseman Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks. The second was trading for defenseman Zach Bogosian from the Tampa Bay Lightning. They essentially traded a right-shot D-man for a right-shot D-man, so what was the point?
Draft Picks
In the first trade, the Sharks sent a 5th-round pick for the 2026 draft and Adam Raska, an AHL-level player. In the second trade, Minnesota only had to send a 7th-round pick for the 2025 draft. In that sense, GM Bill Guerin was able to essentially jump up two rounds for a draft pick, even if they were for two separate drafts.
Different Styles
Addison’s struggle with adding more defense to his game has been well-documented. Last year, after the Wild traded for John Klingberg, Addison was essentially benched through the end of the season. No matter how much he’s tried, Addison remains a powerplay specialist who struggles on his own end. Addison did try, staying in Minnesota all summer to work on his game. Despite that, he remained mostly a powerplay specialist.
Bogosian, on the other hand, is a big, physical defenseman. While he manages to get a point every once in a while, his specialty is defense. Wild fans have been complaining for years about the size of Minnesota’s blue line. Bogosian will help beef it up. Standing 6’3” and coming in at 231 pounds, Bosogian is still able to skate with some speed to break out of the defensive zone.
Why Trade Now?
The Wild recently switched to five forwards on their top powerplay unit. Addison shifted down to the second unit where Jared Spurgeon normally plays. That works for a bit, but Spurgeon is slated to come back from injury soon. Because Spurgeon can play defense and quarterback a powerplay, Addison would be essentially pushed out of his job. With the Wild’s cap space so tight, they weren’t able to keep a specialist player, no matter how much they wanted to.
More Opportunities
Addison has been with the Wild organization since 2020, when he was traded to Minnesota from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of a trade for Jason Zucker. He made the Wild’s opening night roster out of the 2022 training camp. The Wild didn’t necessarily want to part with him, but besides his lack of defensive play, there was also a possible rift between Addison and the front office when his contract wasn’t signed until just before training camp this year.
The Sharks are desperately flailing this season, and a player like Addison could help prop up their defense slightly while also providing some more offense. A change of scenery is sometimes all that a player needs to kick it up a notch. Look at Jordan Greenway, who has been playing second line with the Buffalo Sabres and has put up 6 points so far this season. Considering that last season he had 11 points all season, he’s at a much better clip this season.
