Wild And Sharks Strike A Deal

The Minnesota Wild have acquired Jacob Middleton from the San Jose Sharks for Kaapo Kahkonen and a 2022 fifth-round pick.

Hearing #sjsharks are acquiring G Kaapo Kahkonen from #mnwild in exchange for D Jacob Middleton.@DailyFaceoff

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 21, 2022

Once it was announced that Minnesota had landed Marc-Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks, it was reported that Kahkonen would soon be on his way out. Now, we have confirmation of his new destination, and the Wild have landed another upgrade to their roster in the process.

Middleton was getting a lot of attention on the open market, as he is an old-fashioned, hard-nosed defenseman. This season has been a breakout one for the 26-year-old, as he has three goals and six assists in 45 games. With that, he has found time in San Jose's top four due to his steady play. He also has 89 hits and 69 penalty minutes.

Kahkonen will give the Sharks another young goalie. In 25 games this year with the Wild, the 25-year-old has a 12-8-3 record, 2.87 GAA, and .910 SV%. Overall, he has put together a decent campaign and will be looking to carry that over to San Jose. 

Photo Credit: © Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports