LOS ANGELES – Empty-net goals are always vital, because in most cases they clinch a win. But the empty-net goal deposited by Wild forward Yakov Trenin late in Minnesota’s 5-1 win at Anaheim on Friday touched off a larger-than-usual celebration on the ice and on the Wild bench.

Signed by general manager Bill Guerin over the summer to a $3.5 million contract, Trenin had recorded just one assist in his first 25 games and was at risk of losing confidence in his game. When the red light finally illuminated as the result of a Trenin shot, the reaction of his teammates said all fans need to know about this squad, which some players are already comparing to brothers more than co-workers.

“It felt great. And it’s not the goal itself but how the team responded,” said a beaming Trenin in the jubilant Wild locker room. “Everybody was so happy to give me knuckle. It’s so special.”

Teammates like fellow Russian Kirill Kaprizov said the other Wild players had made efforts to prevent Trenin from getting down on himself despite the drought, and their celebration when he finally scored was genuine.

“It’s first goal for him. It’s always exciting. It’s nice it happens,” Kaprizov said. “It’s hard when you don’t score in how many games, 25, and then you score, it should be a big deal. There’s no pressure.”

Prior to the goal, Trenin said he had been watching and marveling at the work of Minnesota’s top line, with Kaprizov on the left wing, Marco Rossi at center and Matt Boldy on the right. That trio combined for nine points on the night, including a pair of highlight-reel goals.

“It was too fast for my brain,” Trenin joked. “Probably the same for Anaheim. Boom, boom, backdoor, backdoor.”

Fiala for Faber trade a win-win

Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, left, reaches for the puck alongside Los Angeles Kings left wing Kevin Fiala (22) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)

In the summer of 2022, Guerin had a challenge in the form of a mathematical impossibility on his hands. Kevin Fiala was an impending free agent, coming off a monster season for the Wild and needed to get paid. He was making $5.1 million in Minnesota, and with the same salary cap issues that plague the Wild today plaguing them then, Guerin knew he could scarcely afford what Fiala would command.

The Los Angeles Kings had selected Minnesota Gophers defenseman Brock Faber in the second round of the 2020 draft, and Faber had spent some time in Southern California at development camp, getting to know his potential future employer in black and silver.

Two years later, Faber was a rising college star, having been named the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year as a Gophers junior. Guerin clearly saw something he liked in the kid from Maple Grove.

So a few days before the start of free agency, in late June 2022, Guerin worked a trade with the Kings, sending Fiala’s rights to Los Angeles in exchange for Faber and the Kings’ first round pick in the forthcoming 2022 NHL Draft. They used that pick to grab Liam Ohgren, and had Faber on the ice in St. Paul for their development camp just a few days later.

While he has not matched the 85 points he popped in his final season with the Wild, Fiala has turned in back-to-back seasons of 70-plus points and is a bona fide star in Los Angeles. Faber, meanwhile, won another Big Ten defensive player of the year award and helped the Gophers reach the 2023 NCAA title

Just a few hours after he left the Tampa ice in tears, Faber signed with the Wild and stepped directly into a role on their blue line, finishing as runner-up for NHL rookie of the year last season. Guerin made it clear a few months ago how much Faber is the future of the Wild’s back end, inking him to an eight-year contract worth $68 million which kicks in next summer.

A win-win trade is a rarity in any sport, but looking back to the summer of 2022, both the Kings and Wild have reasons to be delighted with what they got.

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