ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild acquired forward Tyson Jost, sending Nico Sturm to division rival Colorado in a swap of centers Tuesday.
The 24-year-old Jost has six goals, eight assists and a plus-1 rating in 59 games this season. He was a first-round draft pick by the Avalanche in 2016 out of North Dakota and is best known for his defense and penalty killing.
The 26-year-old Sturm has nine goals, eight assists with a minus-5 rating in 53 games this season for the Wild, mostly centering the fourth line. The native of Germany was signed as a college free agent out of Clarkson in 2019. Sturm won 51.1% of his career faceoffs, compared to just 39.5% for Jost.
The low faceoff percentage seems a move in the wrong direction for the Wild, who have struggled mightily in the circle for years. Penalty killing has also been an Achilles heel, and that might be something Jost can help with.
Sturm can become an unrestricted free agent this summer. Jost is under contract for next season with a salary cap hit of $2 million.
The Avalanche, who are firmly in control of first place in the Central Division, also acquired veteran defenseman Josh Manson on Monday in a trade with Anaheim.
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