Nyquist was in the lineup for the Wild (35-22-4) in a 1-0 win against the Boston Bruins on Sunday. He finished with one shot in 16:57 of ice time.
“I knew something was coming, but probably a little earlier than expected. That’s the only thing I guess," Nyquist said after the win. "I was aware that something was probably going to happen. But in saying that, happy to be back here. I had a great time here last time two years ago. Happy to be back with this group.”
The Wild, who are third in Central Division, four points behind the Stars, have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs the past two seasons. They are currently without injured forwards Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) and Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body).
“I think it's just like every other Deadline when you feel good about your team and you feel that they've performed well,” Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin said Sunday. “They put us in a good spot. We've played well mainly all year. There have been some ups and downs, but [this should] give them a boost. You know, they've earned it.
“They need a little boost right now, they need a little help and you know, for this time of year, I think we have to supply that for them.”
Kaprizov last played Jan. 26, his third game after he was out for a month. He had surgery in late January because of a lower-body injury and was originally projected to be out a minimum of four weeks, but Guerin said it would be longer.
Eriksson Ek was injured during practice Feb. 24 and placed on injured reserve the following day. The initial prognosis was that he'd miss a few weeks.
"No excuses," Guerin told NHL.com on Feb. 28. 'We'll do what we have to to win."
The Trade Deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
"Again, it's all contingent on moving parts and the health or lack thereof on our team," Guerin said. "Look, we can say we want one thing, and then something else transpires. I don't think it does any good to say, 'Hey, this is what we want.' I think going in with some flexibility is good. It would be nice to have a full team at some point in time this season. Maybe we will. But until then, we're really proud of the job that the guys in the lineup have done every night."
Selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2008 NHL Draft, Nyquist has 524 points (207 goals, 317 assists) in 842 regular-season games for the Predators, Wild, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks and Red Wings, and 30 points (six goals, 24 assists) in 77 playoff games.
"Like I said, I’m really happy to be back here," Nyquist said. "My experience here two years ago, even though it was short, it was great. I have a great relationship with [Guerin]. It’s obviously nice that they want me back, and I feel wanted a little bit, so that’s always nice.”
NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger and independent correspondents Stefen Rosner and Jessi Pierce contributed to this report.
