The Wild's offseason to-do list keeps getting shorter and shorter.
After solving its salary cap conundrum by trading Kevin Fiala last week, the team re-signed defenseman Jake Middleton on Wednesday to a three-year, $7.35 million contract.
That leaves goaltending as potentially the last box to check, and Marc-Andre Fleury is the target.
Bringing back Middleton and Fleury were the Wild's priorities after sending Fiala to Los Angeles last Wednesday in exchange for a first-round draft pick (No. 19) and Gophers defenseman Brock Faber, a departure indicative of the team's limited financial flexibility.
With most of its roster under contract and the cost of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts escalating to nearly $13 million, the Wild had around $7 million in salary cap space to complete its lineup.
A segment of that, $2.45 million annually, will be devoted to Middleton, whom the team acquired at the trade deadline from San Jose for goalie Kaapo Kahkonen and a fifth-round draft pick.
His transition was seamless: In 21 games, Middleton chipped in a goal and four assists but impressed as a sound yet gritty complement to smooth-skating captain Jared Spurgeon on the team's top defensive pairing. Middleton, 26, racked up 29 hits and 35 blocked shots with the Wild and added an assist in the playoffs, where he was the Wild's best plus-minus player.
Overall, he has four goals and 13 assists for 17 points in 80 career NHL games over four seasons with the Wild and Sharks. Middleton was originally drafted by the Kings in the seventh round, at 210, in 2014.
