After two seasons in Minnesota, Devin Setoguchi is on his way north.
The former eighth overall pick at the 2005 NHL Entry Draft has been traded to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for a 2014 second-round pick, according to TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
Setoguchi, 26, was acquired (along with Charlie Coyle) from San Jose in the Brent Burns trade of 2011 and proceeded to score 32 goals in 117 games with the Wild.
A three-time 20-goal scorer that posted a career-high 31 in 2008-09, Setoguchi often fell out of head coach Mike Yeo’s favor while in Minnesota -- he was dropped to the fourth line earlier this season -- but remained a pretty consistent goalscorer.
That should help the Jets, a team that can struggle offensively. They finished 16th in the NHL in goals per game last year (2.62) and only had three players register double digits in goals -- Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane.
Setoguchi has one year remaining on the three-year, $9 million deal signed in 2011.
He carries an average annual cap hit of $3 million, probably part of the reason why the Wild were willing to part ways with him -- prior to the deal, Minnesota was just $2.2 million under the cap ceiling.