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Minnesota Signs Kyle Rau, Andrew Hammond To Extensions

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July 27: Rau’s deal has been officially announced by the Wild, confirming the terms reported yesterday.

July 26: The Athletic’s Michael Russo is reporting that the Minnesota Wild have re-signed forward Kyle Rau to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal carries the league minimum average annual value of $750,000 and will pay him $300,000 per year at the minor-league level with $350,000 in guaranteed money. CapFriendly is also reporting that they’ve re-signed netminder Andrew Hammond to a one-year/two-way deal, paying the ’Hamburglar’ $200,000 at the minor-league level with $250,000 in guaranteed money.

Rau’s been the definition of “good solider” ever since joining the Wild organization ahead of the 2017-18 campaign. After being drafted 91st overall by the Florida Panthers in 2011, Rau signed with the Wild in free agency after not being issued a qualifying offer by the Panthers. A former captain at the University of Minnesota, Rau’s been one of the best players for Minnesota’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild. With depth stretched thin this past season, though, Rau spent the entirety of the year up with the Wild, either in the lineup or on the team’s taxi squad. He mustered just two assists in 14 contests, however, and will likely return to a scoring role in Iowa next season.

For Hammond, this contract extension gives him a chance to play his first game as a member of the Minnesota Wild organization. He was signed prior to 2020-21 to serve as the team’s taxi squad netminder after Alex Stalock was placed on LTIR. After Kaapo Kahkonen cemented himself in the NHL and Stalock became healthy, Stalock was claimed on waivers by the Edmonton Oilers, meaning that Hammond would stay on the taxi squad without getting the chance to play in Iowa. And since Kahkonen and Cam Talbot maintained their health throughout the season, Hammond never got game action with the big club, either. While the days of him stealing games at the NHL level are long gone, Hammond still remains as a viable starting option in the AHL with the option for some fringe starts in case of injury with Minnesota next year.

2021 NHL Draft Selections By Team

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Today concluded the 2021 NHL Draft, the first edition with 32 teams in the running. Some teams selected just three times (sorry, Toronto), while Don Waddell and the Carolina Hurricanes selected an NHL-record 13 times for a seven-round draft. After all the chaos of last night and today, catch up here on who your team selected and when.

Anaheim Ducks
Round 1, Pick 3: F Mason McTavish
Round 2, Pick 34: D Olen Zellweger
Round 3, Pick 66: F Sasha Pastujov
Round 3, Pick 76 (from CHI via MTL): D Tyson Hinds
Round 4, Pick 98: F Josh Lopina
Round 5, Pick 130: F Sean Tschigerl
Round 5, Pick 148 (from EDM via OTT): G Gage Alexander
Round 6, Pick 162: F Kyle Kukkonen

Arizona Coyotes
Round 1, Pick 9 (from VAN): F Dylan Guenther
Round 2, Pick 37 (from CBJ via OTT): F Josh Doan
Round 2, Pick 43: F Ilya Fedotov
Round 2, Pick 60 (from COL via NYI): D Janis Jerome Moser
Round 4, Pick 107: D Emil Martinsen Lilleberg
Round 4, Pick 122 (from PIT): G Rasmus Korhonen
Round 5, Pick 139: F Manix Landry
Round 6, Pick 171: D Cal Thomas
Round 7, Pick 223 (from MTL via CHI): F Sam Lipkin

Boston Bruins
Round 1, Pick 21: F Fabian Lysell
Round 3, Pick 85: F Brett Harrison
Round 4, Pick 117: G Philip Svedeback
Round 5, Pick 149: F Oskar Jellvik
Round 6, Pick 181: D Ryan Mast
Round 7, Pick 213: F Andre Gasseau
Round 7, Pick 217 (from TOR): D Ty Gallagher

Buffalo Sabres
Round 1, Pick 1: D Owen Power
Round 1, Pick 14 (from PHI): F Isak Rosen
Round 2, Pick 33: F Prokhor Poltapov
Round 2, Pick 53 (from BOS): F Alexander Kisakov
Round 3, Pick 88 (from FLA): F Stiven Sardarian
Round 3, Pick 95 (from MTL): F Josh Bloom
Round 4, Pick 97: F Olivier Nadeau
Round 5, Pick 159 (from MTL): F Viljami Marjala
Round 6, Pick 161: F William von Barnekow Lofberg
Round 6, Pick 188 (from COL): D Nikita Novikov
Round 7, Pick 193: F Tyson Kozak

Calgary Flames
Round 1, Pick 13: F Matthew Coronato
Round 2, Pick 45: F William Stromgren
Round 3, Pick 77: F Cole Huckins
Round 4, Pick 89 (from TOR via LAK): D Cameron Whynot
Round 5, Pick 141: D Cole Jordan
Round 6, Pick 168 (from LAK): F Jack Beck
Round 6, Pick 173: F Lucas Ciona
Round 7, Pick 205: G Arsenii Sergeev

Carolina Hurricanes
Round 2, Pick 40 (from LAK via NSH): D Scott Morrow
Round 2, Pick 44 (from CHI via CBJ): D Aleksi Heimosalmi
Round 2, Pick 51 (from NSH): F Ville Koivunen
Round 3, Pick 83 (from NSH): G Patrik Hamrla
Round 3, Pick 94 (from VGK via DET): D Aidan Hreschuk
Round 4, Pick 109 (from CGY via LAK): F Jackson Blake
Round 5, Pick 136 (from LAK via OTT): F Robert Orr
Round 5, Pick 147 (from NSH): F Justin Robidas
Round 6, Pick 170 (from OTT): D Bryce Montgomery
Round 6, Pick 187: G Nikita Quapp
Round 7, Pick 200 (from LAK): G Yegor Naumov
Round 7, Pick 209 (from STL): C Nikita Guslistov
Round 7, Pick 219: D Joel Nystrom

Chicago Blackhawks
Round 1, Pick 32 (from TBL via CBJ): D Nolan Allan
Round 2, Pick 62 (from VGK): F Colton Dach
Round 3, Pick 91 (from CAR): D Taige Harding
Round 4, Pick 105 (from VAN): D Ethan Del Mastro
Round 4, Pick 108: F Victor Stjernborg
Round 6, Pick 172: F Ilya Safonov
Round 7, Pick 204: D Connor Kelley
Round 7, Pick 216 (from FLA): F Jalen Luypen

Colorado Avalanche
Round 1, Pick 28: F Oskar Olausson
Round 2, Pick 61 (from NYI via NJD): D Sean Behrens
Round 3, Pick 92: F Andrei Buyalsky
Round 7, Pick 220: F Taylor Makar

Columbus Blue Jackets
Round 1, Pick 5: F Kent Johnson
Round 1, Pick 12 (from CHI): F Cole Sillinger
Round 1, Pick 25 (from TOR): D Corson Ceulemans
Round 3, Pick 69: D Stanislav Svozil
Round 4, Pick 101: D Guillaume Richard
Round 5, Pick 132 (from NJD): D Nikolai Makarov
Round 5, Pick 133: F James Malatesta
Round 6, Pick 165: F Ben Boyd
Round 7, Pick 197: F Martin Rysavy

Dallas Stars
Round 1, Pick 23 (from WSH via DET): F Wyatt Johnston
Round 2, Pick 47: F Logan Stankoven
Round 2, Pick 48 (from NYR via DET): D Artem Grushnikov
Round 3, Pick 73 (from VAN): F Ayrton Martino
Round 3, Pick 79: F Justin Ertel
Round 4, Pick 111: F Conner Roulette
Round 5, Pick 138 (from OTT via MTL, DET): D Jack Bar
Round 5, Pick 143: D Jacob Holmes
Round 6, Pick 175: F Francesco Arcuri
Round 7, Pick 207: F Albert Sjoberg

Detroit Red Wings
Round 1, Pick 6: D Simon Edvinsson
Round 1, Pick 15 (from DAL): G Sebastian Cossa
Round 2, Pick 36 (from NJD via VGK): D Shai Buium
Round 3, Pick 70: F Carter Mazur
Round 4, Pick 114 (from WPG via VGK): F Redmond Savage
Round 5, Pick 134: F Liam Dower Nilsson
Round 5, Pick 155 (from CAR via VGK): D Oscar Plandowski
Round 6, Pick 166: F Pasquale Zito

Edmonton Oilers
Round 1, Pick 22 (from MIN): F Xavier Bourgault
Round 3, Pick 90 (from PIT via SJS, MIN): D Luca Munzenberger
Round 4, Pick 116: F Jake Chiasson
Round 6, Pick 180: F Matvei Petrov
Round 6, Pick 186 (from PIT): F Shane Lachance
Round 7, Pick 212: D Maximus Wanner

Florida Panthers
Round 1, Pick 24: F Mackie Samoskevich
Round 2, Pick 56: D Evan Nause
Round 4, Pick 120: D Vladislav Lukashevich
Round 5, Pick 152: G Kirill Gerasimyuk
Round 6, Pick 184: F Jakub Kos
Round 7, Pick 210 (from WPG): D Braden Hache

Los Angeles Kings
Round 1, Pick 8: D Brandt Clarke
Round 2, Pick 42 (from OTT): F Francesco Pinelli
Round 2, Pick 59 (from CAR): F Samuel Helenius
Round 3, Pick 84 (from EDM via CGY): D Kirill Kirsanov

Minnesota Wild
Round 1, Pick 20 (from EDM): G Jesper Wallstedt
Round 1, Pick 26 (from PIT): D Carson Lambos
Round 2, Pick 54: D Jack Peart
Round 3, Pick 86: F Caedan Bankier
Round 4, Pick 118: D Kyle Masters
Round 4, Pick 127 (from MTL): F Josh Pillar
Round 6, Pick 182: D Nate Benoit

Montreal Canadiens
Round 1, Pick 31: D Logan Mailloux
Round 2, Pick 63: F Riley Kidney
Round 2, Pick 64 (from TBL): F Oliver Kapanen
Round 3, Pick 87 (from WSH via SJS): D Dmitri Kostenko
Round 4, Pick 113 (from STL): D William Trudeau
Round 5, Pick 142 (from PHI): D Daniil Sobolev
Round 5, Pick 150 (from MIN): F Joshua Roy
Round 6, Pick 191: F Xavier Simoneau
Round 7, Pick 214 (from MIN): G Joe Vrbetic

Nashville Predators
Round 1, Pick 19: F Fedor Svechkov
Round 1, Pick 27 (from CAR): F Zachary L’Heureux
Round 3, Pick 72 (from LAK via CAR): D Anton Olsson
Round 4, Pick 115: D Ryan Ufko
Round 4, Pick 124 (from COL via OTT): D Jack Matier
Round 6, Pick 179: F Simon Knak

New Jersey Devils
Round 1, Pick 4: D Luke Hughes
Round 1, Pick 29 (from NYI): F Chase Stillman
Round 3, Pick 68: F Samu Salminen
Round 4, Pick 100: G Jakub Malek
Round 5, Pick 129 (from BUF): D Topias Vilen
Round 6, Pick 164: D Viktor Hurtig
Round 7, Pick 203 (from ARI): F Zakhar Bardakov

New York Islanders
Round 2, Pick 52 (from EDM via DET): F Aatu Raty
Round 3, Pick 93: G Tristan Lennox
Round 4, Pick 125: F Cameron Berg
Round 5, Pick 157: F Eetu Liukas
Round 6, Pick 189: D Aleksi Malinen
Round 7, Pick 221: D Tomas Machu

New York Rangers
Round 1, Pick 16: F Brennan Othmann
Round 3, Pick 65 (from BUF): F Jayden Grubbe
Round 3, Pick 75 (from ARI via NJD, WSH): F Ryder Korczak
Round 4, Pick 104 (from LAK): F Brody Lamb
Round 4, Pick 106 (from OTT): F Kalle Vaisanen
Round 4, Pick 112: G Talyn Boyko
Round 5, Pick 144: F Jaroslav Chmelar
Round 7, Pick 208: D Hank Kempf

Ottawa Senators
Round 1, Pick 10: F Tyler Boucher
Round 2, Pick 39 (from SJS): F Zach Ostapchuk
Round 2, Pick 49 (from STL via BUF, VGK, LAK): D Ben Roger
Round 3, Pick 74: F Oliver Johansson
Round 4, Pick 123 (from CAR): F Carson Latimer
Round 7, Pick 202: D Chandler Romeo

Philadelphia Flyers
Round 2, Pick 46: F Samu Tuomaala
Round 3, Pick 78: G Aleksei Kolosov
Round 4, Pick 110: D Brian Zanetti
Round 5, Pick 158 (from VGK via WSH): D Ty Murchison
Round 6, Pick 174: D Ethan Samson
Round 7, Pick 206: F Owen McLaughlin

Pittsburgh Penguins
Round 2, Pick 58: F Tristan Broz
Round 5, Pick 154: D Isaac Belliveau
Round 7, Pick 194 (from ANA): D Ryan McCleary
Round 7, Pick 215 (from WSH): D Daniel Laatsch
Round 7, Pick 218: F Kirill Tankov

San Jose Sharks
Round 1, Pick 7: F William Eklund
Round 3, Pick 81 (from STL): G Benjamin Gaudreau
Round 4, Pick 103: D Gannon Laroque
Round 4, Pick 121 (from TOR): F Ethan Cardwell
Round 5, Pick 135: D Artem Guryev
Round 5, Pick 156 (from COL): F Max McCue
Round 6, Pick 167: F Liam Gilmartin
Round 6, Pick 177 (from STL): F Theo Jacobsson
Round 7, Pick 199: F/D Evgenii Kashnikov

Seattle Kraken
Round 1, Pick 2: F Matthew Beniers
Round 2, Pick 35: D Ryker Evans
Round 3, Pick 67: F Ryan Winterton
Round 4, Pick 99: D Ville Ottavainen
Round 5, Pick 131: F Jacob Melanson
Round 6, Pick 163: G Semyon Vyazovoi
Round 7, Pick 195: F Justin Janicke

St. Louis Blues
Round 1, Pick 17: F Zachary Bolduc
Round 3, Pick 71 (from SJS): F Simon Robertsson
Round 5, Pick 145: D Tyson Galloway
Round 7, Pick 198 (from DET): F Ivan Vorobyov

Tampa Bay Lightning
Round 3, Pick 96: D Roman Schmidt
Round 4, Pick 126 (from VGK via MTL): F Dylan Duke
Round 5, Pick 160: F Cameron MacDonald
Round 6, Pick 192: D Alex Gagne
Round 7, Pick 196 (from NJD): D Daniil Pylenkov
Round 7, Pick 211 (from NSH): F Robert Flinton
Round 7, Pick 224: F Niko Huuhtanen

Toronto Maple Leafs
Round 2, Pick 57: F Matthew Knies
Round 5, Pick 153: F Ty Voit
Round 6, Pick 185: G Vyacheslav Peksa

Vancouver Canucks
Round 2, Pick 41: F Danila Klimovich
Round 5, Pick 137: G Aku Koskenvuo
Round 5, Pick 140 (from CHI): D Jonathan Myrenberg
Round 6, Pick 169: D Hugo Gabrielsson
Round 6, Pick 178 (from WPG): F Connor Lockhart
Round 7, Pick 201: F Lucas Forsell

Vegas Golden Knights
Round 1, Pick 30: F Zach Dean
Round 2, Pick 38 (from DET): D Daniil Chayka
Round 4, Pick 102 (from DET): F Jakub Brabenec
Round 4, Pick 128 (from TBL via DET): F Jakub Demek
Round 6, Pick 190: D Artur Cholach
Round 7, Pick 222: G Carl Lindbom

Washington Capitals
Round 2, Pick 55: D Vincent Iorio
Round 3, Pick 80 (from NYR): D Brent Johnson
Round 4, Pick 119: D Joaquim Lemay
Round 5, Pick 151: F Haakon Hanelt
Round 6, Pick 176 (from NYR): D Dru Krebs
Round 6, Pick 183: G Chase Clark

Winnipeg Jets
Round 1, Pick 18: F Chaz Lucius
Round 2, Pick 50: F Nikita Chibrikov
Round 3, Pick 82: D Dmitri Kuzmin
Round 5, Pick 146: F Dmitri Rashevsky

Ryan Suter Drawing Interest From Islanders, Bruins

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There was no doubt that veteran defenseman Ryan Suter was going to be a hot commodity on the free agent market after being bought out by the Minnesota Wild. While fair for the Wild to be hesitant about paying the 36-year-old over $7.5MM for four more seasons, especially with cap and Expansion Draft concerns compounding the issue, Suter’s buyout is not an indictment on his play. Suter showed some decline this season, seeing a 13-year low in time on ice and points per game. However, those marks were still impressive at 22:11 per night and an 82-game pace of 28 points. Add in his invaluable experience and leadership and Suter is one of the more valuable names available on the open market.

Two teams who just recently battled in the postseason, the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders, are back at it off the ice, as The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports that the clubs are competing for Suter’s services. Boston has been looking for a competent top-pair defenseman who can skate with Charlie McAvoy for several years and that weakness was further exposed this season with the departure of Zdeno Chara. The Islanders just traded away the veteran leader of their defense and a top-four left-hander as well in Nick Leddy. Both contenders could use Suter in a major way and each seem like attractive landing spots for the veteran.

Surprisingly, both teams can engage in a bidding war for Suter as well. The Bruins were under the salary cap this season right up until acquiring Taylor Hall at the trade deadline. Even after re-signing Hall, the Bruins still have their two largest contracts – that of David Krejci and Tuukka Rask – coming off the books this summer. Both could re-sign, but neither at the full amount, leaving more than enough space to add Suter at his asking price. Meanwhile, the Islanders have gone from cap crisis to comfortable flexibility in no time, with Leddy, Andrew Ladd, and Jordan Eberle all out the door, leaving behind newfound space.

While New York and Boston may be in the lead in the race for Suter, Shinzawa notes that they are not alone. The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars are also considered to be contenders for the veteran, each looking to replace a recent departure on the left side, Ryan Graves and Jamie Oleksiak respectively. There are certainly other team in the mix as well. Where Suter ultimately lands could be a domino that impact the rest of the free agent blue line market.

Nick Foligno Likely To Sign With Minnesota Wild

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When Nick Foligno left the Columbus Blue Jackets at the NHL Trade Deadline this season, traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, many expected that he could return to the team this off-season. The Columbus captain since 2015, Foligno has strong ties to the organization and the city, enough that there was an expectation that the veteran forward would re-sign with the rebuilding club. While Foligno is technically the property of the Maple Leafs until July 28 and is now able to negotiate with the Seattle Kraken after being exposed in the Expansion Draft, this was the anticipated path of his off-season and the expectation remained that it would end back in Columbus.

Not so fast, says Bally Sports Andy Strickland. If there was any other team the could seduce Foligno from Columbus, it would be the Minnesota Wild, where his brother Marcus Foligno is a core player and signed long-term, not to mention protected from the Expansion Draft. That appears to be exactly what he is thinking. Strickland reports that there is a “strong possibility” that Foligno joins his brother in Minnesota when the free agent market opens next week.

Foligno, 33, is a gritty, hard-working forward who wins puck battles and creates offense in front of the net. Even as he has gotten older, Foligno’s offense has remained consistent throughout his career, scoring between 0.4 and 0.65 points per game in 12 of his 13 full NHL seasons (the one exception was a .92 PPG aberration in 2014-15). Foligno is also a smart, experienced leader, both in the locker room and on the ice. Foligno could help to make up for the recent departures of long-time Wild leaders Ryan Suter and Zach Parise, even replacing Parise’s middle-six winger role. The fit makes sense for a Minnesota team that is looking to take a step forward this coming season after a major turnaround in 2020-21.

Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Joseph Cramarossa

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Rather than ending at the deadline, the flurry of trades and signings essentially only began once the NHL Expansion Draft roster freeze began. Several hours later, it seems the final move has finally been reported. Amongst the chaos of several major trades a few key signings, the Minnesota Wild took care of some housekeeping with a new deal for depth forward Joseph Cramarossa. CapFriendly reports that Cramarossa has signed a two-year, two-way extension. The contract carries the minimum $750K NHL salary and AHL salary that escalates from $170K to $182.5K in year two.

Cramarossa, 28, is not the flashiest of forwards, with modest offensive totals even in the AHL. However, he continues to land two-way NHL contracts due to his solid defensive play at the forward position. A hard-working, versatile forward, Cramarossa is a nice depth piece that can be plugged in anywhere in the bottom-six.

Minnesota did just that this season, employing Cramarossa in a bottom-six role for four games. He also spent considerable time in a next-man-up role on the practice squad, only playing in eight games for AHL Iowa. Moving forward, Cramarossa will likely be based out of Iowa but has shown he can play at the top level if needed. Minnesota has a deep forward corps and is looking to add this summer, but should they need him Cramarossa played 59 games with the Anaheim Ducks and Vancouver Canucks in 2016-17, recording ten points and 60 PIM, so he is capable of playing a regular role if necessary.

Latest On Ryan Suter’s Free Agency

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When the Minnesota Wild initiated a buyout earlier this week, not many were surprised to see Zach Parise on his way out. Ryan Suter’s inclusion however came as a shock, and could very well have changed the offseason plans for several teams around the league. The 36-year-old defenseman is still capable of top-four minutes in the NHL and is suddenly looking for a new home.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, there’s already interest from across the league. Russo spoke to Suter’s agent Neil Sheehy, who called it a “new sweepstake” and explained that “not a single team in the league…ever thought that Ryan Suter would be available.” Russo examines several of the expected contenders for Suter’s services, though the list is already long and likely not even exhaustive at this early stage.

From the 2009-10 season to the 2018-19 season, Suter received votes for the Norris Trophy as one of the league’s best. He was a finalist in 2013, finishing as the runner-up to P.K. Subban in the shortened season. For several years he averaged closed to 30 minutes a night for the Wild, hopping over the board every other shift. Though his Norris-contending days may be over, Suter still averaged more than 22 minutes a night for the Wild this season and once again posted strong possession numbers.

There was, however, a striking decline in his offensive production, as Suter managed just 19 points in 56 games. He hadn’t posted fewer than 31 points since his sophomore season in 2006-07, with his best per-game rate actually coming as recently as 2019-20. He had 48 points in 69 games that season, including 18 on the powerplay. That suggests Suter could even experience an offensive bounce-back if given the right role, though the contenders that will be vying for his services likely already have their powerplay quarterbacks in place.

Even if the level he showed this season is the new norm for Suter, there’s still plenty of hockey left in the veteran defenseman. After 656 regular season games with the Wild, he’ll be looking for a new home–and he won’t have to look long.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild Not Expected To Qualify Dmitry Sokolov

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The Minnesota Wild are going to say goodbye to a prospect that never could quite reach the next level. Dmitry Sokolov will not be tendered a qualifying offer from the Wild according to Michael Russo of The Athletic, meaning he will become an unrestricted free agent. The young forward has already signed a contract in the VHL, meaning he wasn’t going to return to the Iowa Wild anyway, but with this, the Wild will also forfeit his rights.

Sokolov, 23, was a seventh-round pick by the Wild in 2016, who always came with plenty of question marks. His conditioning and skating were both inconsistent, and though he showed an excellent scoring ability, could not impact the rest of the game in a positive way. Despite those issues, the Wild still gave him a chance, signing him to a three-year entry-level contract in 2018, hoping to fix some of the problems and create an NHL player.

In 2018-19, his first year of AHL hockey, there were some promising signs. He scored 16 goals and 30 points in 60 games, seemingly committed to his development in the minor league level. Unfortunately, that development has stalled in the years since, with Sokolov recording just three goals and four points in 14 games this season for the Wild.

Russo also mentions Alexander Khovanov, who the Wild hope to bring back to North America after spending this year in Russia. Khovanov, 21, was the team’s third-round pick in 2018 and scored 99 points in 51 games for the Moncton Wildcats in 2019-20. Russo tweets that it “sounds like” the young center will return, meaning he’ll be in line for some AHL time under his entry-level contract.

Iowa Wild Re-Sign Keaton Thompson

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  • The Iowa Wild announced the extension of defenseman Keaton Thompson to a one-year AHL deal. Thompson, a third-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2013, failed to build on a solid rookies season in the USHL and has yet to play an NHL game. Thompson remained in the Ducks organization through 2018-19, but wasn’t given a qualifying offer after tallying just seven assists in 53 games. Thompson’s since spent two seasons with the Wild on AHL contracts, totaling 20 points in 78 contests. He’ll get another chance to play with their defense core this season, but the days of NHL upside for Thompson are over.

Minnesota Wild To Buy Out Zach Parise, Ryan Suter

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In a shocking turn of events, the Minnesota Wild have begun the buyout process for both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. Because they have no-movement causes, they do not need to go through the unconditional waiver process. Both players are on identical 13-year, $98MM contracts that were signed in 2012; a buyout would cause cap penalties of the following for each player:

  • 2021-22: $2,371,794
  • 2022-23: $6,371,794
  • 2023-24: $7,371,794
  • 2024-25: $7,371,794
  • 2025-26: $833,333
  • 2026-27: $833,333
  • 2027-28: $833,333
  • 2028-29: $833,333

Amazingly, because of the way their contracts were so heavily front-loaded, each player will only receive $6,666,667 in actual salary over the eight years of the buyout. It clears more than $10MM of cap space for the upcoming season, though obviously creates a huge cap penalty in years 2-4 of the buyout.

It’s the end of an era in Minnesota, as Suter and Parise have been the faces of the franchise for nearly a decade. Their signing in 2012 shocked the hockey world, as they decided to go to a relatively new team that had missed the playoffs in eight of its 11 years of existence. When they arrived, things immediately turned positive for Minnesota, reaching the playoffs in each of the next six seasons, but there was very little postseason success. Now, after another disappointing first-round exit, GM Bill Guerin has decided to do what was unthinkable until recently. He released a statement on the move, thanking both players for their contributions:

Zach and Ryan have been an integral part of the Wild’s success over the past nine years and we’ll always be grateful for their many contributions. There were numerous factors that entered into the difficult decision to buy out their contracts, but primarily these moves are a continuation of the transformation of our roster aimed at the eventual goal of winning a Stanley Cup. 

Parise, 36, had been pushed almost entirely out of the lineup, dressing only occasionally down the stretch and playing in just four of the team’s seven postseason games. He managed to record three points in those four matches, but had just 18 in his 45 regular season games. His role moving forward was completely unclear, but now he’ll at least get the chance to test the open market. The New York Islanders and GM Lou Lamoriello had been interested in the past, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll pursue the veteran forward this time around.

For Suter, who also turned 36 in January, things are a little different. Though his offensive numbers fell off a cliff this season, recording just 19 points in 56 games, he is still a valuable top-four defenseman that likely could have helped the Wild next season. The key to both buyouts really is that it will open two protection slots in the upcoming expansion draft, which the Wild can use to block Seattle from some of their younger, more valuable assets. Suter and Parise each held a no-movement clause that would have forced Minnesota to protect them in the draft, meaning if this buyout was going to happen, it needed to be done before the protection lists are submitted later this week.

Looking at a cap penalty of nearly $15MM is daunting, but it is important to remember that their regular cap hits would have combined for more than that anyway. If the Wild believe that the two will not be regular contributors in two years, this actually frees up a (small) amount in those seasons as well. Had they waited another year, for instance, there would have been very little cap savings at all, meaning it was a now-or-never situation. The benefit here is opening up more than $10MM (and two expansion slots) at a time when the Wild are looking at key negotiations with Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala. The team has also been loosely connected to players like Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, who could help fill out the center ice position that has been deemed so important to Kaprizov’s future with the team.

That does not mean it’s the end for Parise and Suter, who will enter the free agent market as attractive assets now that they can be had for a much lower cost. Just yesterday, the Edmonton Oilers for instance traded for Duncan Keith, who will likely cost more than Suter receives on the open market. Though he doesn’t have the kind of playoff success that Keith does, there’s certainly going to be a market for the 36-year-old defenseman. Parise’s might be a bit smaller, but remember he is still only a year removed from a 25-goal campaign and has more than 800 points in his NHL career. For a contender looking to add depth to the lineup for a reasonable price, there are worse gambles to make.

Michael Russo of The Athletic broke the news on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minnesota Wild In Contract Talks With Brennan Menell

at CDT | by 14 Comments

  • The Minnesota Wild are working to try and bring Brennan Menell back to North America, according to Michael Russo of The Athletic. The 24-year-old remains on the team’s reserve list after playing in the KHL this season, where he finished second in scoring among defensemen with 38 points in 47 games. The last time Mennell was on this side of the ocean, he scored 47 points in 57 games with the Iowa Wild and received his first NHL opportunity, suiting up five times with Minnesota. An undrafted free agent signing, the Wild will continue to hold his exclusive NHL rights through his 27th birthday.

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