The Minnesota Wild traded forward Ryan Donato to the San Jose Sharks on Monday for a third-round pick in the 2021 draft, continuing their makeover under general manager Bill Guerin.
Donato will enter the final season of a two-year, $3.8 million contract, giving the Sharks some additional depth on the wing. Donato had 15 points in his first 15 games with the Wild after being acquired in a trade with Boston on Feb. 20, 2019, for forward Charlie Coyle, who was San Jose’s first-round draft pick in 2010.
Donato’s only full season with Minnesota was less productive, with 14 goals – all even-strength – and nine assists in 62 games. The 24-year-old was a healthy scratch in the last two games of the postseason qualifying round series against Vancouver.
The selection the Sharks sent to the Wild was originally Pittsburgh’s, first dealt to San Jose on Feb. 24 for forward Patrick Marleau. The Wild now own two 2021 picks from the Penguins, who traded next year’s first-rounder to Minnesota for forward Jason Zucker.
Donato, who is the son of former Bruins stalwart Ted Donato, has 29 goals and 28 assists in 130 career NHL games. The Harvard product was a second-round pick by Boston in 2014.
Guerin has been busy in recent weeks since the pandemic-altered season ended. He traded popular center Eric Staal to Buffalo for center Marcus Johansson; acquired center Nick Bjugstad from Pittsburgh for a conditional 2021 draft pick; signed defenseman Jonas Brodin to a seven-year, $42 million contract extension; and told captain and center Mikko Koivu – who will be a unrestricted free agent and could retire from the NHL – he would not be re-signed.
The Wild also re-signed center Nico Sturm on Monday to a two-year, $1.45 million contract. The 25-year-old scored his first NHL goal in Game 4 of the qualifying round series against Vancouver on Aug. 7. He spent most of the season with the Wild’s AHL affiliate in Iowa.
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