Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic believe that Minnesota Wild defenseman Calen Addison could be dealt this summer, but think the franchise would be wise to hang onto him. The 23-year-old just completed his first full season in the NHL and put up respectable offensive numbers with three goals and 26 assists in 62 games. While those numbers are terrific for a first-year defender, 18 of his assists came on the power play, meaning that he produced just 11 points at even strength.
Trading Addison would raise some eyebrows, as the Wild would be moving on from him while his value is lower than it could be in the future. The Brandon, Manitoba, native had a string of healthy scratches last year that left him out of action and also kept him from putting up something closer to 40 points. While his defensive game has some warts and he is undersized, Addison is an offensively-talented right-shot defenseman, something coveted throughout the league.
If Minnesota opted to trade Addison, it would be strictly a cap move, as they are in a very delicate situation trying to navigate their Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts – which are taking up nearly $15M in cap space.
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