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Summer Synopsis: Minnesota Wild

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The Minnesota Wild had a far tamer summer than some of their peers around the league – ultimately relying on strong decision-making in the draft and free agency to help round out their lineup, rather than overturning major positions. That could bode well for a team anticipating the return of Jared Spurgeon, and seeing more and more progress out top youngsters like Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. Hard-hitting depth signings have bolstered those options – effectively placing the faith in Minnesota’s returning stars to carry the team over the 12-point deficit that held them out of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Draft

1-12: D Zeev Buium, Denver (NCHC, NCAA)
2-45: F Ryder Ritchie, Prince Albert (WHL)
4-122: D Aron Kiviharju, HIFK (Liiga)
5-140: D Sebastian Soini, Ilves (Liiga)
5-142: G Chase Wutzke, Red Deer (WHL)
6-174: D Stevie Leskovar, Mississauga (OHL)

Minnesota has quietly built one of the best prospect pools in the NHL over the last few years, making up for a lack of much pick value with lucrative drafting. That sentiment reached a peak this year, with the Wild landing a littany of falling talents. That started with Zeev Buium, who held a claim as the top defender of college hockey’s National Championship last year, using his superb puck-control to drive play and open chances for the Pioneers. Buium was an expected top-10 name, but the Wild jumped when they saw him fall out, trading two picks to the Philadelphia Flyers to move up to the 12-spot.

Their hot day continued when the Wild landed Ryder Ritchie in the second round, and Aron Kiviharju in the fourth round. Both players held first-round acclaim at one point this season. Ritchie – a high-IQ winger with tireless drive and special teams upside – seemed a typical casualty of eager drafting. But the first-round precedent was much more emphatically zapped away from Kivihajru when he went down in November with an ACL injury. The injury limited the standout Finnish defender – once considered in a conversation with Macklin Celebrini and Ivan Demidov – to just seven games and two points last season. He returned to the ice in April, and even managed light work at the NHL Draft Combine, but that wasn’t enough to reassure teams of his upside. Still, Kiviharju has 28 games of Liiga experience to his name at just 18 years old – and could emerge as one of the 2024 Draft’s biggest steals if he returns to his prior glory.

Minnesota backed two high-value picks with a trio of safe bets. Sebastian Soini is far from the most refined defender, but has shown a strong ability to square up to, and beat, opponents when defending the rush. He has a long reach, heavy frame, and hard passing – keeping him effective on his own side of the red line. Wutzke stands as Minnesota’s perennial goalie-pick, after managing a .904 save percentage in 36 games with the WHL’s Red Deer Rebels. Wutzke boasts plenty of athleticism and speed, but needs to continue honing his ability to square up to pucks and stop on a spot. The list of role-based picks ends with Leskovar, who made a name for himself as a mean defender this year. He posted just 12 points through 61 games this year, but added 113 penalty minutes – taking pleasure in using his six-foot-three, 200-pound frame to dominate the gritty areas of the ice. While his profile doesn’t scream upside, Leskovar could prove yet another lucrative Minnesota prospect, with a size and the physical edge that seem well-matched for the pros.

UFA Signings

F Ben Jones (two-years, $1.6MM)*
F Brendan Gaunce (two-years, $1.6MM)*
F Reese Johnson (one-year, $775K)*
F Travis Boyd (one-year, $775K)*
F Yakov Trenin (four years, $14MM)
D Jacob Middleton (extended to four years, $17.4MM)
D Cameron Crotty (one-year, $775K)*
D Joseph Cecconi (one-year, $775K)*
G Troy Grosenick (one-year, $775K)*

* denotes two-way

Minnesota’s off-season was spent rebuilding the depths of the AHL Iowa Wild, who lost a long list of young, upside-bets to other minor league deals this season. Rather than mimic the youth, Minnesota opted to sign a litany of proven veterans – adding 614 games worth of NHL experience through just the additions of Gaunce, Johnson, and Boyd. All three played NHL games last season – and Boyd even managed double-digit goals and 34 points as recently as 2022-23. But their two-way deals suggest that Minnesota is looking more for top-line minor-leaguers capable of being impactful call-ups, rather than everyday lineup pieces.

That’s largely thanks to the addition of Yakov Trenin, who rounds out a Wild bottom-six that didn’t see much change this summer. Trenin became a polarizing player last season, after failing to carry his production to the Colorado Avalanche, despite the team giving up Jeremy Hanzel and a third-round pick in a Trade Deadline swap for the winger. But Trenin did bring his hard-nosed physicality, ultimately ranking fourth among Avalanche forwards with an average of 10.89 hits-per-game. Even better, Trenin carried that physicality through 16 games in Colorado, while only managing one penalty. He’s formerly a 17-goal scorer, twice netting 24 points on a season, but Trenin’s mean streak is what makes him stand out. That’s a factor that’s been missing from the Wild bottom-six since the departure of Brandon Duhaime and aging of Marcus Foligno. Trenin should bring that in droves – while holding onto a fairly manageable $3.5MM cap hit.

The Wild also proved diligent with the extension of defender Jacob Middleton, who will now stick around for four more years after his current deal expires next summer. Middleton proudly planted his feet on Minnesota’s second pairing this season, netting seven goals and 25 points while averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time each game. While his upside has been debated, this deal sets up the 28-year-old, former seventh-round pick for a hardy career as a second-pair option.

Trade Acquisitions

F Graeme Clarke (acquired from New Jersey)
F Jakub Lauko (acquired from Boston)

Minnesota made a pair of trades in June, first acquiring forward Jakub Lauko when Boston opted to trade up in the fourth-round – moving from 122 to 110. But it’s Minnesota stands as the early winner of the deal after using the later selection on defender Aron Kiviharju. Lauko is fine supplementary material as well, having scored 10 points in 60 games last season – his first full year in the NHL. He’s a heavy-framed centerman who’s worked his way up to the top flight with diligent two-way play and consistent physicality. Those are the pieces Minnesota feels their missing – if their UFA signings are any indication. Lauko won’t be one to jump off the page this season, but he will stand as a legitimate option for the Wild’s fourth-line center role – likely entering competition with new additions Boyd, Gaunce, and Johnson.

Meanwhile, Clarke will begin fighting his way to the NHL lineup in a new setting, after moving to Minnesota in a one-for-one swap with Adam Beckman. He climbed the mountain with the New Jersey Devils last year, being awarded the first three games of his NHL career after posting 25 goals and 49 points in 67 AHL games. He went scoreless in his NHL appearances but made a few good plays and looked capable of keeping up with opponents. Clarke, still just 23, has managed 149 points through 218 career AHL games – speaking promise to his long-term upside.

RFA Re-Signings

F Graeme Clarke (one-year, $800K)*
F Adam Raska (one-year, $775K)*
F Sammy Walker (one-year, $775K)*
D Declan Chisholm (one-year, $1MM)
D Brock Faber (eight years, $68MM)

* denotes two-way

Minnesota quickly re-signed Clarke, adding him to the quartet of depth pieces ensured with one-year, two-way deals. He’ll join Raska and Walker in competition for the final pieces of Minnesota’s lineup, though it’d be Raska who stands as the early favorite, having already played five games with the Wild last year. He didn’t score in the outings – not helped by his meager AHL production of seven points in 49 games – but Raska did stand as the heavy-frame, gritty piece Minnesota needed. The addition of Trenin could make Raska’s role a bit more obsolete, especially if he can’t boost his scoring, which could pave way for the higher-skilled options of Clarke or Walker. The latter also appeared in four games with the Wild last year, and also went without a point, though he did manage a much more substantial 45 points in 70 AHL games.

But while the depth forwards vie for spots, it seems Declan Chisholm has locked in his lineup role – earning a one-way deal after scoring eight points in 29 games with Minnesota last season. He was a mid-year waiver claim, and will now, at the least, fill the seventh-defender role vacated by Dakota Mermis.

All of the previous RFA signings pale in comparison to the lofty extension of RFA Brock Faber, who will become a wealthy man when his entry-level deal expires next summer, after opting to go the long-term route on an extension. Faber was simply phenomenal last season, stepping up as Minnesota’s unrivaled top defender after captain Jared Spurgeon went down with a season-ending injury. Faber played in all 82 games of his rookie season, scoring eight goals and 47 points and dominating both sides of possession. He was a favorite for the Calder Trophy, but ultimately placed second behind Central Division competitor Connor Bedard. Still, Faber seems bound for a long pro career, after averaging nearly 25 minutes of ice time in just his first season.

Departures

F Servac Petrovsky (unsigned draft pick, invited to Utah’s Rookie Camp)
F Jujhar Khaira (Tampa Bay, one-year, $775K)*
F Jake Lucchini (Nashville, two years, $775K)*
F Nick Swaney (Chicago Wolves, AHL, one-year, $775K)*
F Steven Fogarty (retirement)
F Turner Elson (unsigned, unrestricted free agent)
F Adam Beckman (traded to New Jersey)
F Vinni Lettieri (traded to Boston)
D Alex Goligoski (retirement)
D Dakota Mermis (Toronto, one-year, $775K)*
D Will Butcher (signed with Barys Astana, KHL)
G Zane McIntyre (signed with Straubing, DEL)

* denotes two-way

As aforementioned, Minnesota turned over much of their minor league depth this season. Many of those options took lateral steps – including Khaira, Lucchini, and Mermis, who will all re-enter the race of top-line minor-leaguers fighting for an NHL spot. Mermis stands as a particularly-interesting option, moving to a Toronto Maple Leafs blue-line in the midst of a major overhaul. The 30-year-old defender worked his way into the first NHL role of his career last season, initially being recalled as the seventh-defender but ultimately slotting into a third-pair role in 47 games. He scored eight points in those appearances, while managing his responsibilities in all three zones. Toronto is experiencing some confusion around signee Jani Hakanpaa – though a major depth role could open up on the left-hand side, should Hakanpaa opt not to join the Leafs.

Will Butcher is another exciting departure, making the move to Russia after finding little success in the NHL. Butcher scored 44 points in 81 games as a rookie in 2017-18, but has seen a hit in scoring every year since, ultimately falling to a routine AHL role through the last two seasons. That proved insufficient for the former fifth-round pick, who has now joined Barys for the first two games of the KHL season, recording one assist.

Salary Cap Outlook

Minnesota is entering training camp tightly bound by the salary cap. They carry just $756.4K in open space, per PuckPedia – not even enough to afford a league-minimum deal. But the Wild have all of the pieces of their lineup locked up, with no remaining RFAs – effectively shifting their focus from buying new additions to finding ways to pad their cap space for any necessary moves once the season starts.

Key Questions

How Will The Defense Shape Up? The ace up Minnesota’s sleeve for the last few years has been the unrelenting tandem of Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. The two complimented each other beautifully, effectively controlling play on both ends of the ice any time they’re out there. But Spurgeon missed all but 16 games last season, pushing Minnesota into a bit of a scramble for effective right-handed defenders. Luckily, Faber emerged as a star – taking on the bulk of Spurgeon’s role while Zach Bogosian and Mermis offered secondary support. Spurgeon is expected to be ready to go for next season and will certainly boost the defense, though how his role is balanced against Faber – and if the two can work with Brodin and Middleton to form another formidable blue-line – will be the chief focus of Wild fans as games roll around.

Which Star Will Emerge? Minnesota doesn’t boast the superstar talents of a team like Toronto or Edmonton, but they’ve quietly found major contributors through the likes of Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, and Joel Eriksson Ek. All three took a big step forward last year – with Kaprizov rivaling his career-highs with 46 goals and 96 points; and both Boldy and Eriksson Ek setting career-highs with 69 and 64 points respectively. The trio provide confident momentum at every forward position, and could  each continue their climbs next year, backed by a healthy blue-line and rounded-out offense. Kaprizov seems a certain bet to rival the 100-point ceiling again, though both Boldy and Eriksson Ek are sleeper candidates to join him on that flight. Boldy in specific seems to be settling into more-and-more of an impact role, even scoring 20 points across the last 18 games of the season. While the depth scoring of Minnesota’s offense may prove a concern, the trio of stars leading the pack all seem destine for a big year.

Who’s On First – Or, In Net? The Wild seemed to be headed for a quiet and amicable split with future Hall-of-Fame goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. His contract was due this summer, and while he’s spent three hardy years in Minnesota, the 2023-24 campaign marked the first time since the dead-puck era – 2005-06 to be exact – that Fleury posted a sub-.900 save percentage. Minnesota has the effective Filip Gustavsson and top prospect Jesper Wallstedt waiting for a more concrete shot at the starting role – which made it all the more confusing when the Wild granted Fleury’s request for a farewell tour, signing him to a one-year, $2.5MM contract. Fleury ceded the lion’s share of starts last season – with Gustavsson playing in 45 games and posting an .899 – while Wallstedt posted a .910 in 45 AHL games. That seems to be the split Minnesota is headed for again this season, though how Gustavsson is able to control more starts – and how Wallstedt is able to overcome legendary competition for the backup spot – could go a long way towards determining the Wild’s odds at success.

Wild Attempted To Acquire Laine Earlier This Summer, He Didn't Want To Join Wild

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While Patrik Laine was eventually traded to Montreal, it appears as if that wasn’t the originally planned destination for the winger.  La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported earlier this week that the Wild had been in discussions to acquire the 26-year-old with GM Bill Guerin acknowledging to him that he thought he had a chance to get Laine.  However, Guerin indicated that Laine didn’t want to go to Minnesota which implies that the Wild were one of the teams on his partial no-trade list.  Considering his $8.7MM cap hit and Minnesota’s particularly tight cap situation, it would have been interesting to see how Guerin was going to make it work in terms of fitting in Laine’s contract on their books.

Snapshots: McCabe, Couture, Shattenkirk, Kaprizov, Sorokin

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The Maple Leafs have begun initial talks with defenseman Jake McCabe on a contract extension, per Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on today’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. He’s entering the final season of a four-year, $16MM deal with a $4MM cap hit, but the Leafs are only on the hook for half of it thanks to the Blackhawks retaining $2MM per season on his deal when they traded him to Toronto before the 2023 trade deadline.

McCabe, 31 in October, has fit in seamlessly on the Toronto blue line, averaging 20:39 per game in his first entire season there last year. It wasn’t quite a career-high in ice time, but it was a career-best year for McCabe in nearly every other category, including goals (8), points (28), rating (+20), and hits (219).

While a passable puck-mover, McCabe is primarily effective as a stay-at-home piece. He averaged 2:12 per game on the penalty kill and kept his head above water in terms of controlling expected goals at even strength, the first time he’s done so in his career after toiling on rebuilders in Buffalo and Chicago. He’ll still feature heavily on a new-look Toronto defense next season featuring Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev.

More from around the league:

  • There’s still uncertainty about Sharks captain Logan Couture’s availability to begin the season, but Friedman said that he doesn’t get the sense Couture is considering hanging up his skates. The 35-year-old played just six games in 2023-24 due to osteitis pubis, a rare type of joint inflammation that causes pain and swelling in the groin and lower abdomen (from the Cleveland Clinic). With three seasons left on his contract at an $8MM cap hit, the 15-year veteran still hopes to be a core piece and guide San Jose’s new crop of young players through their ongoing rebuild.
  • Free agent defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk still fully intends on returning for his 15th NHL season in 2024-25, his agent, George Bazos, tells Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. Bazos said his camp is in discussions with a few teams regarding his client but didn’t say whether they were regarding guaranteed deals or professional tryout agreements. Shattenkirk, 35, had 24 points in 61 games with the Bruins last season in bottom-pairing minutes after signing a one-year, $1.05MM deal in Boston in free agency.
  • Leon Draisaitl’s recent eight-year mega-deal likely has positive implications for Kirill Kaprizov as he kicks off extension negotiations with the Wild, Friedman posits. Kaprizov’s deal runs for two more seasons, and he isn’t eligible to sign an extension until July 1, 2025, but there’s already a sentiment building around the league that Draisaitl’s $14MM cap hit is a “needle-mover” for contracts handed out to superstars, Friedman said. After winning the Calder Trophy during the shortened 2020-21 season, Kaprizov has emerged as one of the league’s most consistent scorers, topping the 40-goal mark for three years in a row. He’s still owed $17.5MM on the five-year, $45MM deal he signed as a restricted free agent in 2021.
  • An undisclosed injury may have had something to do with Ilya Sorokin’s slight regression in play for the Islanders last season, Friedman said. The 29-year-old netminder still managed to finish eighth in Vezina Trophy voting, but his .908 SV%, 3.01 GAA, and two shutouts were all career-lows. He’s about to kick off the eight-year, $66MM extension he signed to stay on Long Island last summer, and Friedman said whether Sorokin checks in at 100% when training camp begins later this month will be one of the bigger storylines to watch for the Isles.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Minnesota Wild

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Navigating the salary cap is one of the most important tasks for a front office.  Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful.  Those that don’t often see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2024-25 season.  This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL.  All cap figures are courtesy of PuckPedia.  We begin with a look at the Central Division; next up is Minnesota.

Minnesota Wild

Current Cap Hit: $87,243,590 (under the $88MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

D Brock Faber (one year left on ELC at $925K, has signed extension)
F Marat Khusnutdinov (one year, $925K)
F Liam Ohgren (three years, $886.6K)
F Marco Rossi (one year, $863.3K)

Potential Bonuses
Faber: $250K
Khusnutdinov: $850K
Ohgren: $475K
Rossi: $850K
Total: $2.425MM

Khusnutdinov spent last season in the KHL but with his team there missing the playoffs, he was able to get into 16 games down the stretch with the Wild.  He didn’t do a lot with somewhat limited minutes but that’s not entirely surprising for someone making their debut late in the season.  A top-six role seems unlikely which makes a bridge deal the most probable outcome, one that’s a bit too early to handicap while hitting his bonuses seems unlikely.  Ohgren, meanwhile, also got his feet wet with Minnesota late in the year and held his own.  In a perfect world, he finds his way onto the roster, giving the Wild some secondary scoring depth.  However, with their cap situation, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him start at AHL Iowa to allow them to bank some early-season cap space but he should be up at some point.  It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll hit his bonuses unless he’s a full-timer and makes an impact on the scoresheet.

Rossi made the jump to the NHL full-time last season and turned in a solid rookie campaign with 21 goals and 19 assists although that didn’t stop him from being in trade speculation earlier this offseason.  He reached two of his ‘A’ bonuses last season (ATOI and goals) and assuming he has a similar role this year, he has a good chance at reaching those again, counting at $212.5K apiece.  Considering the perception of his availability, it stands to reason that Minnesota’s preference is probably going to be a bridge deal.  If Rossi has another season like 2023-24, that contract should surpass $3MM per year on a two-year pact while a long-term agreement would likely push past $5MM per season.

Faber is worth a quick mention here due to the bonuses as they weren’t in the first or second year of his deal.  If he has anywhere near a repeat performance from a year ago, it’s going to be safe to pencil those into Minnesota’s cap planning.

Jesper Wallstedt (one year, $925K plus $425K in bonuses) isn’t mentioned above as while he’s expected to see some action between the pipes, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to carry him on the roster on a full-time basis.  That means the bonuses won’t be hit and with what’s likely to be a limited NHL workload, his next deal likely maxes out at what San Jose gave Yaroslav Askarov (two years, $2MM per season); it wouldn’t be shocking if it came in well below that either.

Signed Through 2024-25, Non-Entry-Level

D Declan Chisholm ($1MM, UFA)
G Marc-Andre Fleury ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Marcus Johansson ($2MM, UFA)
F Reese Johnson ($775K, RFA)
F Jakub Lauko ($787.5K, RFA)
D Jonathon Merrill ($1.2MM, UFA)

Johansson didn’t light it up like he did after being acquired at the trade deadline the year before although 30 points for this price point isn’t bad value.  However, he’s someone who hasn’t had a lot of success on the open market in recent deals before this one so it wouldn’t be surprising to see his next contract land around this one.  Lauko was acquired from Boston at the draft and was brought in to add some grit on the fourth line.  With a rather limited overall track record (just 83 career NHL games), his next deal shouldn’t cost much more than $1MM barring an offensive outburst in 2024-25.  Johnson was signed to a two-way deal after being non-tendered by Chicago to avoid arbitration.  He’ll likely see action on the fourth line if he makes the team but with over 140 NHL games, he’s a potential non-tender candidate again as well.

Merrill saw his stock drop a bit last season, averaging less than 13 minutes a night when he was in the lineup.  A serviceable depth defender, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Wild tried to run him through waivers to open up a bit of flexibility; all but $50K of the contract would come off the books when he’s in the minors.  Looking ahead, he’ll have a hard time pushing past the $1MM mark unless he can re-establish himself closer to the 15-plus minute mark.  Chisholm, meanwhile, fared well after being claimed midseason from Winnipeg but a limited track record hurt his market value this summer.  If he can stay as a full-time option on the third pairing, doubling his price tag could be doable.

Many expected Fleury to retire but he opted to come back for one final season.  He’s coming off a down year but if he can bounce back a bit, Minnesota should get decent value with this price tag being below the top backup options.

Signed Through 2025-26

D Zach Bogosian ($1.25MM, UFA)
G Filip Gustavsson ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Kirill Kaprizov ($9MM, UFA)
F Mats Zuccarello ($4.125MM, UFA)

Kaprizov has emerged as one of the top wingers in the NHL and he will be signing this deal at the age of 29, meaning he will still have some prime years left when the time comes to sign his next contract.  As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him surpass Artemi Panarin’s $11.643MM AAV; while his point totals haven’t been as high, the increase in the salary cap between the two contracts should make the difference.  Zuccarello signed this extension early and has put up at least 63 points the last three seasons.  If that holds up, the Wild will do quite well here.  Even if the output starts to drop, it should hold up relatively well.  He’ll be entering his age-39 year on his next contract which means it’s far from a guarantee that there will be a next contract.

Bogosian did well in a limited role after being acquired from Tampa Bay.  As long as he stays around that fifth slot in terms of usage, they’ll do relatively well with this contract.

Gustavsson wasn’t expected to necessarily repeat his breakout numbers from 2022-23 but he didn’t exactly come close to them either.  He dropped 32 points on his save percentage while his goals-against average went up by nearly a full goal per game.  The end result was a stat line that was below average, even for a second-stringer.  It’s safe to say they’ll be counting on some sort of rebound.

Signed Through 2026-27

F Ryan Hartman ($4MM, UFA)
D Jared Spurgeon ($7.875MM, UFA)

Hartman didn’t get back to his output from 2021-22 but he still reached the 20-goal mark.  As long as he can stay there and play down the middle, this contract should age well.

Spurgeon, meanwhile, is coming off an injury-plagued year.  When healthy, he’s a top-pairing player but whether he can still be one for the final three seasons of this contract remains to be seen as he’ll turn 35 in late November.  It’s possible as a result that this one could become an issue for Minnesota down the road.

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Alex Goligoski Confirms Retirement

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Free agent defenseman Alex Goligoski is hanging up his skates, he confirmed to Joe Smith of The Athletic. It’s the expected outcome after reports in June indicated he wasn’t expected back with the Wild, where he spent the final three seasons of his career.

“I think I’ve known for a while,” Goligoski told Smith. “Do you hang around and see if some team wants to throw some money at you? I have no desire to move my family. No desire to go by myself and do all that. That’s the most amazing thing about finishing in Minnesota. It makes it easier to say, ‘Hey, I’m good.’”

“…I think it’s the longevity of it, honestly. I can totally see where it’d be very difficult if you’re not planning on being done, where it’s like you don’t get a contract but you’re still younger. It feels to me like I’ve had my fun, I’ve done it long enough. I’m good to step away and move on.”

Goligoski, 39, was a second-round pick by the Penguins in 2004 before starting a three-year run at the University of Minnesota. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native turned pro with Pittsburgh for the 2007-08 campaign, playing parts of four seasons in the Steel City before being sent to the Stars in a blockbuster swap for James Neal and Matt Niskanen.

A top-pairing option for much of the 2010s in Dallas, Goligoski’s signing rights were traded to the Coyotes just days before becoming a free agent in 2016 and quickly signed a five-year, $27.38MM deal. He continued to hold down top-four minutes there for the life of that contract before signing a one-year, $5MM deal with the Wild, his hometown club, in 2021. He signed a two-year, $4MM deal to extend his stay in the State of Hockey the following summer, which expired this June.

The writing was on the wall for Goligoski after last season, which saw him limited to 10 assists in 36 games while averaging 14:49 per game and serving as a healthy scratch for long stretches of the season. He hasn’t been a top-of-the-lineup option since his days in Arizona, but he did remain a capable puck-moving presence in a limited role after joining the Wild.

Goligoski was one of the league’s 10 oldest players last season. Three players ahead of him on the list – Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, and Joe Pavelski – had already retired this summer, making Goligoski the sixth-oldest active player in the league at the time of his retirement.

His first season as an NHL regular saw him lift the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2009, appearing in 45 regular-season games and two playoff games en route to the championship win. Over 1,078 regular-season games, he scored 87 goals, 388 assists, and 475 points and posted a +55 rating while averaging 21:55 per night. He added 21 points in 47 playoff games in six trips to the postseason (2009, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2020, and 2022).

While ending his playing days, Goligoski hopes to kick off a career in an NHL front office soon. “I’ve always liked breaking down what teams do and why they do it,” he told Smith. “I have a good sense of the right way to do things. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the right way and the wrong way to do things. I think it’d be something I’m good at. So we’ll see.” He doesn’t have an official role with the Wild, but Smith reports Wild general manager Bill Guerin will be open to hiring him once he’s ready to begin the next phase of his hockey career.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Looking Ahead At Early Training Camp Battles

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The 2024 offseason is nearly at its end and many teams are looking ahead toward training camp. A few teams have unfinished business to attend to but most heavy lifting is completed across the league. Training camp and preseason contests give the team a first glance at new talent and also bring along the strenuous process of trimming the team down to a 23-man roster before opening night in October. This will not be an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination but a few notable training camp battles have already developed after a lengthy summer.

Carolina Hurricanes

The Hurricanes have sustained one of the most successful stretches outside a Stanley Cup title in organizational history. The team has made the playoffs for six straight seasons and has regularly boasted one of the deeper lineups in the league over that stretch. Unfortunately, the team lost valuable talent in Jake Guentzel, Teuvo Teravainen, Brett Pesce, and Brady Skjei this summer, leading many to believe this team has taken a noticeable step backward this offseason. The team filled in their blue line adequately with Sean Walker and Shayne Gostisbehere on low-cost deals but there is still a glaring hole on the team’s second line.

Martin Necas could slot into a center or right-wing role on the second line. The possession-heavy Hurricane offense makes him a better option on the wing due to poor faceoff percentage throughout his career. That leaves Carolina to choose from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Jack Drury, Jack Roslovic, or Jordan Staal to middle the team’s second-line with another question mark at left wing. This battle will mainly come down to prospects Bradly Nadeau and Jackson Blake as many of the other wingers on the team are better-positioned in bottom-six roles. Neither have the upper hand at the outset as both showed off promising talent in the NCAA last season at the University of Maine and the University of North Dakota, respectively, and it will be an interesting battle to see play out in a few weeks.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings are headed into year six of the ’Yzerplan’ and have yet to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs. The organization came close last year as they tied with the Washington Capitals in points for the last wild card spot in the Eastern Conference only to miss out due to the first tiebreaker. Poised to make headlines this summer in the hopes of icing a playoff-caliber roster in a tough Atlantic Division — the Red Wings fell flat. Their biggest moves of the summer were retaining forward Patrick Kane on a one-year deal, signing Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year pact, and signing goaltender Cam Talbot to complete their goaltending trio.

Detroit seemingly already has a full roster heading into training camp in a few weeks. Simon Edvinsson, Albert Johansson, Carter Mazur, and Nate Danielson are poised to challenge for a full-time spot in the lineup which could lead the Red Wings to some difficult choices in October. The team will eventually have to begin graduating their glut of prospects to the NHL level but most of them are blocked by the numerous acquisitions general manager Steve Yzerman has made over the last few years. Don’t be surprised if Detroit becomes an active trade candidate before the season opens to make room for some of their prospects.

Minnesota Wild

The Minnesota Wild are set to open the 2024-25 NHL season with two-and-a-half goalies on the roster to the surprise of many. After the team extended uber-popular goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to a one-year deal in mid-April the going notion was that the Wild would pursue a trade of Filip Gustavsson over the summer to open up a spot for top prospect Jesper Wallstedt. It shouldn’t be a make-or-break season for Wallstedt if the Wild keep him down in the minors for another year but he has little left to prove at the AHL level.

Gustavsson could still be a viable trade candidate throughout the season with a manageable $3.75MM cap hit for the next two years. It’s still difficult to view Minnesota not capitalizing on an active goaltending trade market this summer as anything other than a misstep. Wallstedt is a naturally good goaltending prospect already and the Wild have a unique opportunity to have him learn under one of the game’s all-time best in Fleury. It would be a surprise to see Minnesota move on from Gustavsson at this point in the offseason. Wallstedt could certainly play himself into a third-string position for Minnesota this season which could create quite the rotation between the pipes.

Montreal Canadiens

As the Canadiens look to rebound from a multi-year retooling effort the team has created quite a glut of potential on the blue line. Defensemen Mike Matheson and Kaiden Guhle already strike as long-term options on the back end but the team will need to piece together a defensive core with seven different options. It would be wise for Montreal to enter training camp with a very open mind for the defensive core outside of Matheson and Guhle.

This reasonably leaves five other spots available which will be filled out by prospects Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux, and David Reinbacher with David Savard, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Justin Barron left to pick from. All the options individually offer their unique skill set to the Canadiens’ blue line but they are another potentially active trade candidate heading into the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins

On the opposite side of the coin compared to the Canadiens; the Penguins will need to thin out their group of forwards heading into the regular season. Pittsburgh’s roster breakdown shows 14 forwards on the active roster with Emil Bemstrom and Jesse Puljujarvi in the minors according to PuckPedia. Rutger McGroarty and Drew O’Connor should be the main camp battle to who plays on the wing next to Sidney Crosby but the team’s bottom-six appears too saturated.

It should be a multi-tiered training camp battle as each player to pick from plays a different style of hockey. Depending on whether the Penguins want more scoring in the bottom-six or a more defensive-minded approach it will ultimately chart the trajectory of several players. Bemstrom, Puljujarvi, Lars Eller, Noel Acciari, Anthony Beauvillier, and Valtteri Puustinen all represent the notable talent who will compete for these spots once training camp begins in a few weeks.

St. Louis Blues

The Blues were originally thought to be a team looking to thin out their defensive core this offseason. The team instead brought in Ryan Suter, Philip Broberg, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph while only moving on from Marco Scandella. The team may be without defenseman Torey Krug for the entire regular season which opens up a spot on the left side of the defense but the team will ultimately have to cut the roster.

The choice will become less complicated if the team is without Krug for the regular season as the only battle of training camp will come down to Suter and Joseph as the team’s seventh defenseman. A roster spot hangs on the availability of Krug for the 2024-25 NHL season which makes for an interesting camp battle between several members of the Blues’ defensive core.

Evening Notes: Islanders, Ducks, Wild

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Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News wonders if the New York Islanders would benefit from bringing in a player like Filip Zadina before training camp. The Islanders badly needed a top-six forward this summer but didn’t have the cap space or assets to make a move towards improving their forward group. Zadina has been linked to the Buffalo Sabres and has potential interest from a handful of other teams. He is also reportedly close to signing with an NHL team.

The 24-year-old hasn’t been able to live up to his draft status as a sixth overall pick and will now join his third NHL team in just seven seasons. The Pardubice, Czech Republic native, scored a career-high 13 goals last season and tallied 23 points in 72 games with the San Jose Sharks. But, despite being on the worst team in the NHL, he failed to play more than third- and fourth-line minutes and given the current state of his game, it’s unlikely he would help out the Islanders’ top six forwards. However, he could carve out a depth role in their bottom six.

In other evening notes:

  • The Anaheim Ducks announced that they’ve partnered with A Parent Media Co. Inc. to stream all of their regional games this season free of charge. The games will be available on the soon-to-launch Victory+, allowing Ducks fans in the Los Angeles regional market to watch Ducks games for free. The app for Victory+ will be available for fans outside the Ducks’ television region as well, but the games will not be free. However, the app will allow fans in other parts of the country to view the extra content that the team produces outside of their games.
  • Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke with KFAN FM 100.3 today and discussed the upcoming season, where his expectations are for the Wild to make the playoffs and win the Stanley Cup. Guerin has had to navigate some very rocky waters the past couple of summers regarding the salary cap, as the Wild have had to account for $14.74MM in dead cap space for two years due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. However, he has managed to keep the team competitive and believes that if his current group stays healthy, they will be in the mix come playoff time. Minnesota didn’t make many changes this summer and will count on many internal improvements from young players if they hope to improve on the disappointment of missing the playoffs last season.

CHL Notes: Ritchie, Mrsic, Gardiner, Ekberg

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A blockbuster trade in the Western Hockey League got across the finish line today involving a pair of prospects taken in this year’s draft. The Medicine Hat Tigers have picked up Wild second-rounder Ryder Ritchie from the Prince Albert Raiders, per a team announcement, sending Blues fourth-rounder Tomas Mrsic and draft picks the other way.

Ritchie, who just turned 18 earlier this month, was a consensus late first/early second-round prospect but fell to Minnesota at No. 45. The 6’1″, 176-lb right-winger was the WHL’s Rookie of the Year in 2022-23 and continued to perform well last season without much of a supporting cast in Prince Albert. Injuries limited him to 47 games on the season, but he still showed out with 19 goals, 25 assists, 44 points, and a -1 rating. He closed out the campaign on a high note, scoring four goals and four assists in seven games while winning gold with Canada at the U18 World Juniors. In Medicine Hat, the Calgary native will likely star on a first line centered by 2024 fourth-overall pick Cayden Lindstrom and projected 2026 first-overall selection Gavin McKenna at left wing.

Mrsic isn’t an afterthought in this deal, though. The 6’0″, 170-lb sniper can play all three forward positions and went within his expected range to the Blues at No. 113. He fell just short of a point per game on a strong Tigers team last season, posting 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points in 63 games – fourth on the team. Both players are likely due for another pair of seasons in juniors before turning pro with their respective NHL clubs in 2026-27.

Some other notable Canadian Hockey League moves today:

  • The Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts continue to be a popular destination for Stars prospects this summer, today acquiring center Brad Gardiner from the Ottawa 67’s for a quartet of draft picks. Gardiner, 19, was a Dallas third-rounder in 2023 and had 49 points in 67 games with the 67’s last season. Barrie selected 2024 Stars first-round pick Emil Hemming in this year’s CHL Import Draft and got him inked to an agreement last month, bringing him over to juniors from his native Finland. A strong season with the Colts will be crucial for Gardiner, who risks becoming a free agent if the Stars don’t sign him by June 1, 2025.
  • The 67’s will replace some of Gardiner’s roles with top 2025 draft-eligible prospect Filip Ekberg, who the team confirmed today has signed a Scholarship and Development Agreement. Ekberg, 17, is a likely late first-round selection in next year’s draft after posting 29 points in 33 games last year in his native Sweden with Almtuna IS’ U20 club. The left winger stands at 5’10” and 168 lbs and won a bronze medal with Sweden at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup earlier this month.

Wild Unlikely To Move Gustavsson; Wallstedt Could Be Shuffled To AHL At Times

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After re-signing Marc-Andre Fleury and indicating that they’d like Jesper Wallstedt to see more NHL action in 2024-25, it looked as if Filip Gustavsson was set to be on the move this summer.  That hasn’t happened as of yet and Joe Smith of The Athletic notes (subscription link) that it appears that Gustavsson will now be sticking around, meaning that Minnesota will be juggling three goalies at times when they want Wallstedt to get a look.  Gustavsson is coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.06 GAA with a .899 SV% in 45 games after putting up 2.10 and .931 respectively in 2022-23.  The Wild’s cap situation will make it tricky to carry three goalies; GM Bill Guerin acknowledged that Wallstedt could be in a “hybrid” situation that sees him spend time with Minnesota and AHL Iowa as a result.

West Notes: Mercer, Rantanen, Oilers

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The Wild have invited undrafted free agent goalie Riley Mercer to next month’s rookie camp, reports Mike Morreale of NHL.com. Mercer, the younger brother of Devils RFA forward Dawson Mercer, was passed over in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 drafts but came into his own in his final season of junior hockey last year with the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.

The 20-year-old Newfoundland native took over as the Voltigeurs’ starter for the first time in 2023-24, posting a 2.83 GAA and .905 SV% with two shutouts and a 31-13-4 record in 49 appearances. But he erupted in the playoffs, taking over with a shining 1.89 GAA and .934 SV% in 19 games as Drummondville won the QMJHL championship.

Mercer, who stands at 6’2″ and 205 lbs, hasn’t inked a professional contract for this season. He’s technically eligible to return to the Voltigeurs for an overage season, but CHL clubs are limited to three overagers on their roster at any given time and tend not to use those slots on goaltenders.

An entry-level contract with the Wild out of rookie camp is impossible but unlikely. However, a decent showing could earn him a deal with their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, or their ECHL affiliate, the Iowa Heartlanders. It would be a tough numbers game, though, as the organization has seven goalies under contract across the three leagues already (five NHL deals, one AHL deal, and one ECHL deal).

More out of the Western Conference today:

  • Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman chimed into the summer discourse today with a quick-hit edition of his “32 Thoughts” podcast, mentioning, among other topics, that there’s a strong sense around the league that the Avalanche and Mikko Rantanen won’t have any issues coming to terms on an extension. “You start to do your planning a year out,” Friedman said. “They’re starting to take Draisaitl off their boards because they think that’s going to get done in Edmonton, and I had some teams tell me they don’t have any reason to believe, right now, that Rantanen is going to be a hard one to get done either. We’ll see where that goes” (hat tip to Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now). As things stand, Rantanen would be the consensus No. 2 player on the 2025 UFA market behind Draisaitl. The 27-year-old winger remained over the 100-point threshold in 2023-24, posting 42 goals and 62 assists in 80 games. An eight-year extension would feasibly eclipse the $11MM mark per year, a decent raise on his current $9.25MM AAV.
  • The Oilers should match the Blues’ two-year, $4.58MM offer sheet for Dylan Holloway but let Philip Broberg walk for his two-year, $9.16MM offer, argues Shayna Goldman of The Athletic (subscription required). Among other reasons, the likelihood of Holloway being worth his $2.29MM cap hit this season is much higher than Broberg providing fair value for his $4.58MM price tag, especially for a pair of former first-rounders at similar spots in their development.

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