Chicago Blackhawks claim Nick Seeler off waivers

After spending close to a decade in the Minnesota Wild’s system, defenseman Nick Seeler is headed elsewhere.

The Wild placed Seeler on waivers Sunday with the hopes of having him return to Iowa. However, the Chicago Blackhawks claimed the 26-year-old Monday, ending his tenure with the Wild.

Awkwardly enough, the Wild take on the Blackhawks Tuesday night in St. Paul.

Minnesota selected Seeler in the fifth round (No. 131 overall) of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. After spending two years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Seeler transferred to the University of Minnesota in 2015, where he tallied 10 points (all assists) in 36 games.

Since 2017, Seeler has earned multiple call-ups and even played a significant role with Minnesota in 2018-19, appearing in 71 games on the season. However, he was unable to nail down a role with the Wild this season. Most of his nights have been spent in the press box. In his six appearances this season, he recorded zero points and a minus-6 rating.

After this season, Seeler has one year remaining on his contract at a cap hit of $725,000, so this move doesn’t exactly do much in terms of cap relief.