Minnesota Wild select Center Steve Yzerman with their 26th Round Pick
Minnesota Wild trade thier 28th and 33rd Round Draft Pick to the New York Rangers for Philadelphia's 27th Round Draft Pick and the NYR's 39th Round Draft Pick
Minnesota Wild acquire Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski and Forward Sergei Samsonov for Forward Marian Gaborik and a 25th Round Draft Pick. Tom analysis: "We felt we really needed a big, hard hitting defenseman and we got one in Vishnevski. He currently leads the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in hits. Getting Samsonov in return really helped us make this deal. We were really not willing to sacrifice major offense for defense. Unfortunately, we did have to give up one of our favorite players in Gaborik, but the prospect of getting two solid, young players with really only giving up a little offense, could not be passed up." *UPDATE* Flyers spin Samsonov and Mark Parrish to Edmonton for Sami Kapanen and Brendan Shanahan. "The way our team is going now, Parrish is expendable, Samsonov was tough to part with but we feel we got the 2nd and 3rd best players in the deal. Kapanen will give us depth on the PK, speed and some scoring. Shanahan is a proven goal scorer and will fit right in playing with Sakic and Jagr on the top line."
Minnesota Wild acquire forward Keith Primeau for forward Joe Nieuwendyk. Tom analysis: "Look, we all know Joe is better offensively, but Keith has the ability to shut down a teams #1 offensive line. The fact that we are so stacked on offense has made us a little conscience about how our defense will play. Keith will bring leadership, PK ability and is also 3 years younger then Joe."