The Edmonton Oilers and the Minnesota Wild swapped defensemen on 2012 NHL Trade Deadline day. Tom Gilbert heads to Minnesota, while Nick Schultz heads north to Edmonton.
Both defenseman are 29 years old. Gilbert has two years remaining on his deal at $4 million per season against the salary cap, while Schultz's contract is the same length but hits the cap at $3.5 million per season.
Gilbert has been one of Edmonton's top defensemen this season, logging heavy minutes on their No. 1 pairing. Schultz is in the same mold, but they bring different skill sets to the table. Gilbert is more of a puck mover who can chip in offensively, putting up 17 points, thus far, on the year with the Oilers. Schultz is more of a defensive defenseman.
According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Oilers tweeted confirmation of the deal before the Wild had a chance to inform Schultz that he'd been traded.
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