Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
The Columbus Blue Jackets have made a deal to trade defenseman David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild. They’ve also sent a 2025 fifth-round pick to Minnesota along with Jiricek.
Over the last week, Jiricek was involved in multiple trade talks and rumours. Chatter about Jiricek heightened when he was sent down to the minors on Nov. 20. The 21-year-old was assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters for the third time in his short career thus far.
This season with the Blue Jackets, Jiricek played six games before being sent down to the American League. He provided an assist, recorded two minor penalties and a plus/minus rating of minus-2.
The right-handed D-man has played a career total of 53 NHL games with one goal and 11 points to his name. Most of that scoring came in his rookie season last campaign, where he sniped his only career goal, which happened to be his first NHL point. He also provided nine helpers last season, adding up to 10 points total in the 2023-24 season.
In his AHL career with the Monsters, Jiricek has averaged just under 0.70 points per game. So far this season, the Czechia native has two goals and an assist in four games played.
Jiricek was selected sixth overall in the 2022 NHL draft by Columbus and is currently in the second year of his entry-level contract.
In return for Jiricek, the Blue Jackets will receive defenseman Daemon Hunt. The 22-year-old Hunt was a third-round pick by the Wild in 2020 and has spent the majority of his time since being drafted with the Wild’s AHL affiliate the Iowa Wild, only playing 13 games over two seasons with the NHL club. While Hunt has only a single assist to his name point-wise at the NHL level, he has put up decent enough numbers for a defenseman in the AHL, with 45 points in 125 games.
Along with Hunt, Columbus will also receive a 2025 first-round pick (top-five protected), as well as a second and fourth-rounder in 2027.
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