Wild hoping trade for Donato helps get them back on track for playoffs

NEW YORK -- The Minnesota Wild are hoping a shake-up to the roster will be the wake-up call they need to vault back into position to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If not, more changes aimed at next season and beyond are expected before the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline on Monday at 3 p.m. ET.
"We're right in the thick of things," Wild general manager Paul Fenton said. "Tonight, let's see how we do."
The Wild, who have lost nine of 10 games (1-6-3) since Feb. 1, on Wednesday acquired forward Ryan Donato and a conditional fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft from the Boston Bruins for forward Charlie Coyle, who played 479 games with Minnesota since 2013.
\[RELATED: Coyle traded to Bruins by Wild for Donato, fifth-round pick\]
Minnesota is last in the Central Division with 60 points but only one point out of the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference with 22 games remaining. The Wild play the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, FS-N, FS-WI, NHL.TV), when Donato will make his debut.
"We are looking to be a playoff team and Ryan can help us get there," Fenton said.
Donato had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 34 games with the Bruins and 12 points (seven goals, five assists) in 18 games with Providence of the American Hockey League. He was playing in Providence at the time of the trade.
"I'm here to help," Donato said. "At the end of the day, they're worried about making the playoffs and they're pushing for a playoff spot. So, for me, I want to come in and immediately help and be an impact player.
"I'm ready to go."

As much as the Wild are hoping Donato can be an instant hit, Fenton said the main reason for acquiring the 22-year-old is his long-term upside as a shoot-first, goal-scoring forward.
Donato has 11 goals in 46 NHL games, including five in 12 games last season. He scored five goals in five games for the United States at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, where he played with Wild forward Jordan Greenway. He scored 26 goals in 29 games as a senior at Harvard last season.
"Very much in favor of getting people that want to shoot the puck instead of looking for passes all the time," Fenton said. "That was one of the ingredients that we talked about, what we looked at in the various trades around the NHL, and what stood out with him was his ability to shoot the puck.
"For me, he's got as good a skill as anybody that we have."
Scoring has been an issue for the Wild, who enter the game in New York on a 156-minute goal drought. They lost 4-0 to the St. Louis Blues on Sunday and 4-0 against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday.
Fenton said he's still taking a wait-and-see, one-game-at-a-time approach leading up to the trade deadline. The Wild have three games before Monday. How they do likely will determine Fenton's approach.
Eric Staal is a pending unrestricted free agent center who could be on the move if the Wild don't dig their way out of their slump. Eric Fehr is another center who is a pending UFA. Forward Matt Hendricks and defensemen Anthony Bitetto and Brad Hunt are also pending UFAs.
"This is such a weird year that every time you think you're out of it all you need to do is win three in a row and you're right back in the thick of things," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "That's what our goal is right now, win a couple games this week and we'll see where we stand on Monday."
Photo courtesy of Katlyn Gambill/Minnesota Wild