The Wild and Sharks have made a trade.

The Wild and the Sharks have struck a deal.

According to a report from National Hockey League insider Pierre LeBrun, the Wild have traded away goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in a move that no doubt comes as a result of the acquisition of Marc Andre Fleury from the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Wild are sending Kahkonen to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for defenseman Jacob Middleton, with an unconfirmed draft pick also believed to be involved in the trade.

Update: LeBrun has now confirmed that the Wild have also given up a 5th round draft pick as a part of the trade.

Kahkonen was a 4th round pick (109th overall) of the Wild at the 2014 National Hockey LEague Entry Draft and has largely failed to establish himself as a reliable option for the Wild in net since making it to the NHL. This season he appeared in 25 games for the Wild, recording a 2.87 goals against average and a .910 save percentage as he battled fellow Wild goaltender Cam Talbot for the top spot between the pipes for Minnesota.

Jacob Middleton on the other hand was a 7th round draft selection (210th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He has appeared in 45 games for the Sharks this season scoring 3 goals and recording 6 assists for a combined total of 9 points. He has also racked up quite a few penalty minutes with his hard nosed style, 69 to be exact, and currently boasts a plus minus rating of +3 on the season.

Another interesting wrinkle in this trade is the fact that the money evens out for both teams. Middleton and Kahkonen have identical cap hits at $725,000 and both men will see their current contracts expire at the end of this season. As a result the Wild have added some additional depth to their blue line while effectively giving up very little with the added context of the addition of Marc Andre Fleury today.

Stay tuned.