The Wild's offseason to-do list keeps getting shorter and shorter.
Wild signs Jake Middleton to three-year, $7.35 million contract
The 26-year-old defenseman was acquired in March from San Jose and paired with captain Jared Spurgeon on the blue line.
July 7, 2022 at 4:03AM
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.
With Middleton signed, the Wild now has less than $5 million left in its budget.
Some or all of that could go to goaltending, whether it be Fleury or another player the Wild ends up bringing in alongside Cam Talbot.
At the end of the season, Fleury said he would consider returning to the Wild. The three-time Stanley Cup champion joined the Wild from Chicago at the trade deadline and will be an unrestricted free agent coming off a three-year, $21 million contract.
Following the draft, which begins Thursday in Montreal with the first round where the Wild has the 24th overall selection in addition to the pick from Los Angeles, NHL free agency opens on Wednesday.
The Wild prevailed 5-4 on Tuesday night, moving back into first place in the NHL with a hard-fought victory in their first trip to Utah. Matt Boldy scored the winner in the shootout.
