David Jiříček trade: Grading Wild acquiring former first-round draft pick of Blue Jackets | Sporting News

The Columbus Blue Jackets and David Jiricek, their sixth overall pick in 2022 , have had a strained relationship for a little over a year .

Trade speculations have been circling since the offseason, but ramped up when it was reported that Jiricek being traded was a matter of when, not if.

The standoff came to a head this afternoon when the Minnesota Wild acquired Jiricek along with a fifth round pick in exchange for prospect Daemon Hunt, a second-round pick in 2027, Colorados third-rounder in 2026, and Torontos fourth-round pick in 2026 .

Columbus will also receive Minnesotas first round pick in 2025, unless its a top five draft pick.

If it is, Columbus will get Minnesotas 2026 first-round pick instead This is, by far, the biggest trade of the 2024-25 NHL season.

Here are my grades for both teams involved in the trade.

Minnesotas Grade: A It sure seems like the Wild are trying to establish themselves as a serious contender.

Superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov will need a new contract at the end of the 2025-26 season , and trades like this will just give him more reasons to re-sign with Minnesota.

For a competitive team, that first rounder they traded away is inconsequential if it leads to Minnesotas first ever Stanley Cup.

Daemon Hunt a 22 year old defenseman taken in the third round in 2020 is a good prospect, but Jiricek is a great one.

When Jiricek joins the NHL team, hell help bolster their defense.

Columbus Grade: B- There are a few ways to look at this.

On one hand, Columbus received a solid defensive prospect in Daemon Hunt.

They also acquired a kings ransom worth of draft picks.

To get first, second and third-round picks is no small feat.

But it feels like they should have gotten more for him.

The publicity of the situation likely decreased Jiriceks value, because every team in the league knew that he would soon be on the way out of Columbus.

On the other hand, it never should have gotten to this point.

Jiricek was a highly touted prospect, and for good reason.

His development was blocked in favor of icing defensemen with far less upside.

But whats done is done, and David Jiricek is now the property of the Minnesota Wild..

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