ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild's blue line is getting slim, and Wednesday night's NHL Expansion Draft isn't helping.
The NHL's newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken, selected Wild defenseman Carson Soucy, leaving Minnesota with just three defensemen with considerable playing time last year.
The Wild parted ways with veteran defenseman Ryan Suter earlier this offseason, and Ian Cole, who was traded to Minnesota last season, is currently a free agent. The Wild currently have Jared Spurgeon, Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin, who signed a seven-year extension last year, so the team will need to add some blue line depth this offseason.
Soucy, who was selected 137th overall by the Wild in the 2013 NHL Draft, played in 50 games last season, primarily on the team's third defensive pairing. He finished with 17 points and a plus-minus rating of plus-22, both career bests.
On Sunday, the Wild announced the players they were protecting from the Kraken, and included in that list were the three remaining defensemen, goalie Cam Talbot and forwards Joel Eriksson Ek, Kevin Fiala, Marcus Foligno, Jordan Greenway, Ryan Hartman, Nico Sturm and Mats Zuccarello.
The full schedule for the 2021-22 season, which will return to 82 games, will be announced Thursday.
