Wild to add college start to their roster before the playoffs!

The Minnesota Wild are looking to make a huge move, and unlike some of the moves that you see at this time of year this one could have an immediate impact on their franchise.

According to a breaking news report from Minnesota Wild insider Mike Russo of The Athletic, the Minnesota Wild are making a big push to acquire 23 year old collegiate hockey standout Nico Sturm. Sturm has been playing for Clarkson University over the course of the past 3 seasons and has earned enough respect during his time there to be named the organizations captain. That respect however has also resulted in the eyes of a number of NHL teams on him, including those of the aforementioned Wild.

In his most recent season the Clarkson University captain has appeared in 39 games for his team, recording 14 goals and 31 assaults for a total of 45 points. That is some excellent production by any metric however it becomes even more impressive when you realize that Sturm is considered to be a true two way forward, with his defensive game being as strong as his offensive production. He boasts a plus minus rating of +23 on the season, an indication that his team tends not to give up too much when he is out on the ice for them,

The most interesting part of the report form Russo however is regarding how the Wild intend to both use Sturm should he sign with them, as well as the details of their strategy to entice him to join them. According to Russo the Wild are prepared to burn the first year of his contract by immediately injecting him onto their roster in the 2018 - 2019 National Hockey League regular season, a move that would also make him available to the Wild in their current playoff run. It is unclear how much use the Wild would get out of the 23 year old forward at this time, but it is clear that they believe he can provide an immediate boost to their roster.

Russo is also reporting that Sturm would immediately report to the Wild, so there would be no trip down to the American Hockey League to join the Iowa Wild, likely another move designed to entice Sturm to take the Wild's offer.

[pub]