Rangers and Wild Swap Players
F Dan Fritsche swaps the big apple for the Wild, while D Erik Reitz goes in the opposite direction.
It had been speculated that Rangers wanted to trade forward Dan Fritsche for a defenseman and The Fourth Period reports that a trade between the New York club and Minnesota Wild has taken place.
Fritsche had been on the trading block for a while according to reports and now the New Yorker’s have found a willing trade partner in Minnesota. Dan, 22 years of age, has played 13 games in a Rangers uniform this season, scoring one goal and providing 3 assists. He was acquired in the summer from the Columbus Blue Jackets along with Nikolai Zherdev – while Fedor Tyutin and Christian Bäckman headed in the opposite direction.
Erik Reitz, 26 years of age, will now ply his trade in New York after having played 31 games with Minnesota this season; getting a goal and an assist, whilst spending 41 minutes in the penalty box – while still wearing the Wild jersey.
It is a logical trade and a likely win-win deal for both clubs. Reason for this is that the Rangers have expressed a need to bolster their defensive ranks, while Minnesota need to crank up their goal scoring exploits. Fritsche may be one for the future, while Reitz is likely to get his chance without delay, but Dan can chip in now too if Wild deems it necessary. Minnesota GM Doug Risebrough has already expressed his delight at acquiring a player he believes to be very determined and hard to play against.
It remains to be seen how the trade pans out, but so far it seems like a logical deal for both clubs, with the potential to work in both franchises’ best interest.
