ST PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota-born Rem Pitlick is packing his bags and leaving the Wild, just months after being picked up by his home state team.
Pitlick was claimed by the floundering Montreal Canadians Wednesday after the Wild placed him on waivers.
The skilled 24-year-old forward has 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists) in 20 games with Minnesota this season after the Wild claimed him when Nashville tried to sneak Pitlick through the waiver wire at the start of the 2021-22 season.
Pitlick was only with Minnesota for three months, highlighted by a hat trick he scored Nov. 13 against the Seattle Kraken. But lately he has been in the press box more than on the ice, and with the recent callups of hot prospects Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi, it was not a surprise that Pitlick's days were numbered.
"Rem’s played well in spurts,” Wild coach Dean Evason told The Athletic Wednesday following news of Pitlick's departure. “He’s competed. He’s tried. It’s just a situation where we’re going to go in another direction.”
Hockey insiders believe the offensively gifted Pitlick was not a good fit for the Wild, as both GM Bill Guerin and Evason gravitate towards players with a bit more grind and grit.
"Super-skilled player, but one that doesn't seem suited to a fourth-line role. The Wild haven't been happy with him for weeks and have been trying to get him to adjust to the gritty nature of being a fourth-liner," wrote The Athletic's Michael Russo. "Recently, Pitlick said he was trying to "blend" his skill set with what the Wild wanted, and that didn't rub the highers-up the right way."
A third-round selection of the Predators (76th overall) in 2016, Pitlick is a product of the University of Minnesota.
He has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in 31 career NHL games between the Predators and the Wild.
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