David Jiricek is a home-run pickup for the Wild

The Minnesota Wild have another young, quality blueliner in their system.

The team made a big swing on Saturday when they traded for defenseman David Jiricek, acquiring him from the Columbus Blue Jackets, along with a fifth-round pick, for Daemon Hunt and three draft picks.

The move is a big one for the Wild, who already have a substantial amount of experience and talent on the blue line. Jiricek will join veterans Jared Spurgeon, Zach Bogosian and Jacob Middleton, along with rising star Brock Faber.

For a Minnesota team that is off to a great start this year and has clear aspirations of making a run this coming spring, getting another useful piece on the back end is important. For Jiricek, after what was a messy end to his tenure with the Blue Jackets organization, finding a new home might be what he needs to reach that potential that made him the sixth-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

On Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Colby Cohen and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss what this move means for the Wild and their outlook for the future.

Colby Cohen: The Wild solidify their blue line for years to come. When you think about Faber, and you think about Jiricek, and you think about Zeev Buium at Denver is not far down the path…All of a sudden, you’re starting to see how this is going to look for a couple of years.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I think this is an awesome fit in Minnesota. Even when you think for the next decade, you can have Faber and Jiricek as your top four on the right side, you’re in a really good spot. That protects you from a guy like Jared Spurgeon, who’s been so good for them for so long, but he’s going to age out eventually. He’s 35 years old…the injuries are starting to stack up for Spurgeon as well…For them to go out and have the foresight of like, “Let’s do this now and just continue to extend our window down the line,” is very, very smart.

You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…