Wild lose Erik Haula, Alex Tuch to Vegas in separate deals
Through a nifty bit of dealing, Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher avoided losing one of one of his coveted young defensemen to the expansion draft Wednesday night.
Speedy forward Erik Haula agreed to a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights during an exclusive free agency period that began Sunday and ended Wednesday at 7 a.m., a transaction that counts as Vegas' Wild selection in the expansion draft.
In a technically separate transaction, the Wild agreed to trade prospect Alex Tuch to Vegas for a conditional third-round pick in the 2017 or 2018 NHL Entry Draft, ensuring that the Golden Knights would sign Haula rather than select an exposed player like Matt Dumba or Eric Staal in the expansion draft.
Haula would have become a restricted free agent July 1.
Teams were allowed to protect 10 players from the draft, a scenario that left several valuable Wild players exposed
The deal keeps the Wild's young defensive corps intact, but deals a sizable blow to their pool of prospects.
A 6-foot-4 power forward, Tuch was drafted No. 18 overall by Minnesota in 2014 and spent last season with the AHL's Iowa Wild.
Tuch was held scoreless in six games for the Wild last season after signing out of Boston College, but led the AHL's Iowa Wild in scoring with 18 goals (37 points) in 57 games.
A seventh-round pick in 2009, Haula spent six seasons in the Wild organization following a four-year career with the Gophers.
Haula had 89 points in 266 career games for the Wild, and scored a season-high 15 goals last season.
