Wild Acquire McCarron from Predators for 2028 Pick

The Minnesota Wild acquired forward Michael McCarron from the Nashville Predators on Tuesday in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft, bolstering their bottom-six forwards ahead of the league's trade deadline on Friday.

McCarron, a 6-foot-6, 30-year-old center who turns 31 on Friday, brings physicality and playoff experience to the Wild, who hold a strong position in the Central Division playoff race. In 59 games this season with Nashville, he recorded five goals and seven assists while accumulating 73 penalty minutes and leading the Predators with 165 hits. Over his NHL career spanning more than 350 games, McCarron has established himself as a reliable faceoff specialist, winning 52.8 percent of his draws across the past five seasons, and a key contributor on the penalty kill. He is in the final year of a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $900,000, which will make him an unrestricted free agent after this season.

The trade addresses a need for the Wild in the faceoff circle and adds grit to their lineup, particularly with forward Marcus Foligno sidelined week-to-week by a lower-body injury. Wild general manager Bill Guerin, speaking to...