Panthers Acquire Vinnie Hinostroza From Wild as Forward Logjam Clears in Minnesota
The Florida Panthers have acquired winger vinnie hinostroza from the Minnesota Wild for future considerations, a move that hands the veteran forward a clearer path to NHL minutes after limited opportunity in Minnesota.
Vinnie Hinostroza headed for Sunshine State
Florida picked up Hinostroza to add bottom-six depth as the Panthers cope with injuries and a likely roster tweak involving winger A. J. Greer. Hinostroza arrives from Minnesota, where he had been a depth scoring option for the Wild this season.
Why Minnesota moved him
The trade eases a forward logjam in Minnesota after the Wild added Bobby Brink and Nick Foligno in separate deals the same day. With the Wild’s forward group approaching full health and the recent additions, Hinostroza had fallen to roughly the #15 or #16 spot on the depth chart and likely would not have seen meaningful ice time down the stretch if he stayed.
Playing history and what Florida gets
Hinostroza arrived in Minnesota last season the waiver wire from the Predators. He is in the back half of a two-year, two-way deal he signed with Nashville in 2024 and will be a free agent this summer. A veteran of 460 NHL games, he has spent recent seasons mostly as an AHL call-up option but produced an exceptional scoring run in Milwaukee last season while on the Preds’ farm, which helped him break camp with the Wild last fall.
This season with Minnesota, Hinostroza posted a 3-7–10 scoring line in 48 games while averaging 10: 18 of ice time per night. The move gives him the opportunity for more consistent bottom-six reps in Florida, which could boost his chances of earning a one-way deal as a UFA this summer.
The Wild had the option to place Hinostroza on waivers, but if he were claimed after the trade deadline he would not have been eligible to play for a new club in the playoffs because he would have changed teams after the deadline.
For Florida, the acquisition addresses immediate depth needs while allowing Minnesota to free up a roster spot after its busy day of additions.
Hinostroza remains under the back half of his two-year, two-way contract and will reach unrestricted free agency this summer, the next confirmed milestone in his career.
