Martin Hanzal Will Be Great Fit with Minnesota Wild

Martin Hanzal becomes the next big name to be moved. Joining the Stanley Cup-contending Minnesota Wild, the Arizona Coyotes receive Grayson Downing, a first (2017) and second-round pick (2018), and a conditional pick in 2019.

Martin Hanzal has been the talk of the town for quite some time. He provided the Arizona Coyotes with tremendous versatility on their top two units, but will now take his services to Minnesota.

The Minnesota Wild, on the other hand, are clearly one of the best teams in the NHL this season and are looking to beef up their roster before the NHL playoffs roll around.

Here are the official reports from both teams via their Twitter accounts. Both teams seem eager and grateful for everything that has come to pass, and what could happen in the future.

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Wild Chasing Stanley Cup, Coyotes Building for the Future

The Coyotes have been building for the future over the past few drafts. Landing players like Max Domi, Christian Dvorak, Brendan Perlini and Dylan Strome, the Coyotes are hoping that they can build around their young group of players. Anthony Duclair has been somewhat of a disappointment, but hopefully, he can turn things around in 2017-18.

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The Wild are on a completely different end of the spectrum. They have built a versatile squad through plenty of trades, and have reliable players like Ryan Suter and Eric Staal.

Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Jason Zucker, and Charlie Coyle are the future at forward. On defense, Jonas Brodin, Matt Dumba, and Jared Spurgeon are the most promising players on their roster.

Both teams come out of this deal with plenty of hope. While the Wild hope Hanzal can bring a physical, defensive presence with some offensive upside, the Coyotes are, once again, preparing for the upcoming draft. With the Vegas Golden Knights ready to select their team, the Coyotes have arguably the least to lose among all NHL teams.

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The Coyotes have established their presence as a seller, but who knows what else could transpire. They have several aging players, but could hold on to them for next year. Mike Smith could find a new home in Las Vegas, but Radim Vrbata looks like a mainstay, for now.

For the Wild, everything comes down to this year. They have a Vezina-like goaltender in Devan Dubnyk, and one of the best defensive groups in the NHL. Adding some much-needed pop at the forward position seems necessary, given the age of their top-six forwards.

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Hanzal’s role remains to be seen, but the Wild have plenty of talent, and versatility, to move around. For now, they will continue to rely on their best players, but do not be surprised if things start to change as the NHL playoffs roll around.