Saturday is the start of NHL free agency, but the Wild and Sabres have already shaken things up with a trade. Minnesota has sent forward Jason Pominville and defenseman Marco Scandella to the Sabres for forwards Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno.
Wild trade Jason Pominville, Marco Scandella to the Sabres for Tyler Ennis, Marcus Foligno
Minnesota and Buffalo deal assets the day before the start of free agency.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
TSN’s Bob McKenzie first reported the swap late Friday afternoon. Also going in the deal are draft picks, with the Wild sending a 2018 fourth-round pick to Buffalo and the Sabres sending back a 2018 third-round pick.
Scandella has been rumored as a piece the Wild might move this offseason. Though the 27-year-old defenseman had just 13 points in 71 games for Minnesota this season, Scandella plays like a solid second-paring defenseman and is a huge get for the rebuilding Sabres.
Also going back to Buffalo is Pominville, a middle-six forward for the Wild this year who put up 47 points in 78 games. The 34-year-old right winger played above his 2015-16 season with the Wild and can still contribute depth scoring when called for.
Out of this trade, Minnesota gets Ennis, a 27-year-old left winger. The forward played most of his time in Buffalo’s bottom six, where he put up 13 points in 51 games last season. When healthy and with productive linemates, however, Ennis has shown he can be a 40-plus point producer in a full season.
Foligno is also headed back to Minnesota in this deal. The 25-year-old left winger had 23 points in 80 games in the middle of the Sabres lineup. Foligno’s ceiling seems lower than Ennis’ in terms of point production, but he adds depth to Minnesota’s bottom six.
A big factor in this deal for the Wild seems to be the cap space saved by moving Scandella and Pominville off their roster. According to Mike Halford of NBC’s Pro Hockey Talk, the Wild save $5 million in cap space.
The Sabres, meanwhile, get a productive defenseman to add to their depleted system and a solid veteran forward. Both moves make Buffalo, on paper, a stronger team than its 78 point finish last season.
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