Wild pick up Nate Prosser off waivers from St. Louis Blues

Oct. 02--Nate Prosser is returning to the Minnesota Wild.

The franchise claimed Prosser, a Wild defenseman the past four years, off waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Thursday to add defensive depth.

Prosser has played in 126 career games, all with the Wild, since entering the NHL in 2010.

As a free agent this summer, Prosser signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Blues after the Wild declined to offer a one-way contract.

To send Prosser to the American Hockey League, which the Blues intended to do, he requires waivers, which led to the Wild's acquisition. If the Wild want to send Prosser to the AHL, he would have to clear waivers again.

But for now, he's insurance as the team continues to weigh whether 20-year-old Matt Dumba and 23-year-old Christian Folin are ready for top-6 roles on defense.

If they are, the Wild may not have space for Prosser. If the young defensemen aren't ready, though, Prosser could stick with the team the way he did the past few years, as a seventh defenseman.

Last season, Prosser received his most steady playing time when the Wild battled injuries on the blue line. He played well in those games and totaled a career-high 53 games with two goals, six assists and a plus-2 rating.

He also played in 10 of the Wild's 13 playoff games last season, recording a plus-2 rating and 12 penalty minutes.

Follow Chad Graff at twitter.com/ChadGraff.

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