Wild acquire Will Butcher from Penguins for Maxim Cajkovic
We’re 43 days away from the NHL Trade Deadline, but we saw a bit of action on Thursday afternoon as the Minnesota Wild acquired defenseman Will Butcher from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Maxim Cajkovic.
The Penguins have acquired forward Maxim Cajkovic from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Will Butcher.
Cajkovic is signed through the 2023.24 season and his contract carries an average annual value of $925,000 at the NHL level.
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Butcher, 29, has seven points (three goals and four assists) in 14 games with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins this season. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Penguins last July.
Through 275 career NHL games with the New Jersey Devils and the Buffalo Sabres, Butcher has 114 points (16 goals and 98 assists). He’s also scored 50 points (nine goals and 41 assists) in 79 career AHL games with the Penguins and the Texas Stars.
Butcher, a fifth-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, will report to the AHL’s Iowa Wild.
Cajkovic, 23, scored a goal and two assists for three points in five games with the AHL’s Wild, then collected 18 points (12 goals and six assists) in 20 games with the Iowa Heartlanders in the ECHL.
Cajkovic, a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, is expected to report to the AHL’s Penguins.
The Wild are 27-21-5 with 47 points, seventh in the Central Division but are four points from one of the Western Conference’s Wild Card spots. Their next game is Thursday at home against the Nashville Predators.
The Penguins are 21-17-6 with 48 points, seventh in the Metropolitan Division but are five points from one of the Eastern Conference’s Wild Card spots. Their next game is Friday at home against the Florida Panthers.