Minnesota had just one remaining restricted free agent who saw regular NHL action with them last season and they’ve quickly reached an agreement with that player. Michael Russo of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Wild have inked blueliner Declan Chisholm to a one-year, $1MM contract. Chisholm was eligible to file for salary arbitration by yesterday’s deadline but elected not to do so.
The 24-year-old was a productive blueliner in Winnipeg’s system but failed to land a full-time spot with them over his entry-level contract. That led to a one-year, two-way deal for the league minimum last season where he was waiver-eligible. The Jets didn’t want to lose Chisholm for nothing at the end of training camp but weren’t confident enough to play him. As a result, he got into just two games with them before finally being waived in late January where he was promptly claimed by the Wild.
With Minnesota, Chisholm became much more of a regular, getting into 29 games with them over the final three months when he had eight points and 36 blocked shots in a little under 17 minutes a night. While that output pales in comparison to the 43 points he had in the minors the year before, the fact he was able to lock down a regular role demonstrated that his defensive game improved enough to the point where he could be relied on.
This deal represents a low-risk move for the Wild as $1MM for someone who can hold their own on the third pairing represents strong value. At the moment, Minnesota has just six regular blueliners under contract for next season so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them shop around for some more depth over the coming weeks. However, with minimal cap space to work with, they’ll have to shop for some lower-cost options.