Wild trade Schroeder for minor-league forward Salituro
Jordan Schroeder will have to move away from home once again.
The Wild shipped Schroeder, a native of Lakeville, Minn., to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday in exchange for minor-league center Dante Salituro.
Schroeder was a restricted free agent heading into the 2017-18 season. But Minnesota did not give him a qualifying offer and instead traded the speedy forward.
Salituro has yet to make his NHL debut. He played four years in the Ontario Hockey League for the Ottawa 67’s and led the team in scoring in 2015-16, his final season with the team.
The 20-year-old was signed by Columbus and played just five games in with its AHL affiliate and seven games in the ECHL this past season before returning to the OHL once again. Salituro racked up 11 goals and 11 assists in 30 games for the London Knights, who lost in the second round of the OHL playoffs.
Like Schroeder (who stands at 5-foot-9), Salituro is undersized at 5-8, 175 pounds, but he has a knack for scoring and gives the Wild much-needed depth at center.
Minnesota lost two centers recently, trading Tyler Graovac to Washington on June 14 and losing Erik Haula to the Las Vegas Golden Knights in free agency.
Schroeder, a first-round pick by Vancouver in 2009, returned home to Minnesota in 2014 after playing in 56 games with the Canucks.
In 144 career NHL games, the Schroeder tallied 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points. He scored his lone career playoff goal against the Dallas Stars in 2016.
