The Nashville Predators traded forward Gustav Nyquist to the Minnesota Wild on Saturday in exchange for a 2026 second-round draft choice, the teams announced.

Nashville is also retaining 50% of Nyquist’s salary in the deal. He’s in the final season of a two-year, $6.37 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent in July.

Nyquist was held out of Nashville’s game against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon in anticipation of a potential trade coming to fruition. While the 35-year-old had spent time in the Predators top six rotation this season, he struggled to find chemistry in Nashville’s re-tooled lineup and collected just nine goals and 21 points in 57 games, compared to 75 points in 81 games last year.

A change of scenery going back to Minnesota — a team Nyquist played three games for in 2022-23 after being traded there from Columbus — could help Nyquist recapture some of that offensive prowess. And the Wild need a boost, too. Minnesota has lost three in a row and is mired in a litany of injury issues that include still playing without top skater Kirill Kaprizov and now Joel Eriksson Ek is sidelined with a lower-body injury suffered in practice this week. Ryan Hartman is also out still serving an eight-game suspension; he’s eligible to return on March 4.

Nyquist should slot into a middle-six spot for the Wild and help out on the penalty kill. He was fourth among Predators forwards in shorthanded ice time — averaging 1:20 per game — and Minnesota will tap into his kill skills to improve their woeful, 31st-ranked unit.

A native of Halmstad, Sweden, Nyquist was a fourth-round selection of the Detroit Red Wings back in 2008.