The Minnesota Wild acquired Zach Bogosian in a trade with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and traded Calen Addison to the San Jose Sharks for Adam Raska and a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Bogosian, a 33-year-old defenseman, is without a point in four games this season. He had five points (one goal, four assists) and 114 hits in 46 games in 2022-23. This season was Bogosian's third with the Lightning, returning to Tampa Bay when he signed a three-year, $2.55 million contract ($850,000 average annual value) on July 28, 2021, after one season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His four assists in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs helped the Lightning win the Stanley Cup, and he has 213 points (57 goals, 156 assists) in 787 games for the Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Buffalo Sabres, Lightning and Maple Leafs after Atlanta selected him with the No. 3 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft
The Wild (5-5-2) visit the New York Rangers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSWIX, BSN, MSG) coming off a 4-2 win at the New York Islanders on Tuesday. They add Bogosian, who will be in the lineup, to a defense core that's been without captain Jared Spurgeon this season because of an upper-body injury.
“For what we need right now defensively, I think Zach fits in a little bit better,” Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said. “You know, our power play needs are being kind of fulfilled in other areas. … Listen, Calen Addison is a good player. He’s an NHL player. I’ve had a long history with him. You know, and sometimes you just need a change, a better opportunity, and I think he’s going to get that. It’s always hard moving on from a guy that you’ve known since draft day, but I believe this will be a step in the right direction in his career as well.
“I think Zach brings a lot of experience. He comes from a winning culture. He’s hungry to play. And, you know, we need what he can bring to our lineup. He’s a big guy. He still skates well. He brings heaviness. He brings some grit, and we need that. I think the experience that he brings with all the other intangibles, he’s a great teammate. People within our organization know him and speak really highly of him, so we’re happy to have him.”
