Having their cap hamstrung by a pair of buyouts has limited what Minnesota can do to improve the team, and it's shown up front with a number of centres getting a crack at the top line, and a rotation of wingers across from budding star Matt Boldy. The Wild have attempted to improve their situation by bolstering the winger depth:

Let's just get to it.

What Minnesota gets

Marcus Johansson nets the Capitals a third-round pick next season as the team continues to shift around their depth. He had 16 goals and 34 points in 78 games during his second stint with Washington, including 28 points in 60 games this year. The problem is that 13 of his 28 points have come on the power play, and he is not getting to Minnesota's top PP unit barring injuries or gross underperformance. In fact, his points per 60 minutes at 5-on-5 over the last three seasons (1.07) is roughly the fifth percentile. As in, there are hundreds of regular NHLers tallying points more frequently. He is going to a team that is scoring less often at 5-on-5 when Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are off the ice than the penalty kills of Philadelphia, Carolina, and Edmonton. Not sure things get much better when that power-play time disappears. Fantasy owners that had him rostered in deep leagues just got a swift kick in the shins. He will take someone's spot in the lineup, though, so the Connor Dewar/Brandon Duhaime tier of players could see a more inconsistent role.

Gustav Nyquist won't help fantasy owners. He is a hopeful to return for a postseason run, so unless he heals faster than expected, it won't change much. If he comes back early, we'll worry about it then.

Back in Washington, Garnet Hathaway and Johansson being traded provides a bit more security for guys like Sonny Milano, Dylan Strome, and Conor Sheary. Johansson had been a lineup regular and eating some top PP time. That is all gone and though the regular veterans will get the top PP time as long as they’re healthy, Johansson's 5-on-5 time being allotted to someone like Milano could be a help for his fantasy profile. Considering Johansson's lack of production, it's hard to imagine this hurting anyone's production in Washington.

Who this helps

Sonny Milano

Dylan Strome

Aliaksei Protas

Who this hurts

Connor Dewar

Mason Shaw

Ryan Reaves