Recapping the Minnesota Wild’s Early Free Agency Moves – The Hockey Writers – Minnesota Wild

The first day of free agency in the NHL saw quite a bit of movement, and the Wild were a minor part of that, but not what most were expecting. They signed Bobby Brink the day prior to free agency starting, and then when free agency started, they saw Mats Zuccarello leave to join the Los Angeles Kings on a one-year, $1 million contract with a $5.5 million bonus if he plays in 10 games. The other player who went to free agency but has yet to sign with a team was Vladimir Tarasenko. 

The Wild did make a handful of signings/re-sigings on day one that included bringing back Zach Bogosian as well as adding goaltender Calvin Pickard and a number of players who will be on two-way contracts, including a former fan favorite making his Wild return, Mason Shaw. On day two of free agency, things got very interesting later in the day. First, they announced they signed Nick Foligno, and then they made a trade. 

They traded defenseman Jake Middleton and three picks in upcoming drafts, a third in 2027, a fourth in 2028, and a second in 2029, to the Calgary Flames in return for forward Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Määttä. They also signed another forward, Maxim Shabanov, who had been with the New York Islanders. It’s been a lot to digest over the past few days, and in this article we’ll break down the losses and gains for the Wild, starting with the players who have departed. 

Wild Lose Fan Favorites 

Every NHL team has players that are considered fan favorites; Mats Zuccarello was definitely one of them, as was Jake Middleton for the Wild. They both had fun personalities that showed through, and it was clear they loved to play the game of hockey. Zuccarello made his way into the NHL undrafted, being one of the smallest players in the league, and he made quite a name for himself, including being one of the best matches for Kirill Kaprizov even though he’s nearly a decade older. 

“Yeah, I mean first of all, Zuccy (Zuccarello) is a wonderful guy. I can’t say enough good things about Zuccy as a person first of all and as a hockey player, you know I just have a ton of respect for his career, his game, what he’s done in the game and most specifically what he’s done for the Minnesota Wild. He’s been here a long time; these decisions they’re really difficult…I mean Zuccy’s got an incredible relationship with his teammates here but you know, coaches, me as a manager, I love Zuccy….Yeah, we just kind of felt it was time just to go in a different direction, a little bit of a different look, and yeah, we wish him nothing but the best,” said general manager Bill Guerin during a Zoom call with the media on Wild.com, following day one of free agency when asked about Zuccarello. 

Losing Zuccarello is tough; despite being one of the smallest out there, he was one of the quickest and was a dynamic player to watch. Switching gears to Middleton, he wasn’t here for nearly as long, but he made an impression quite quickly, especially with his “tarps off” interviews and his rather off-the-cuff personality, which made him very entertaining for fans. He did have some struggles this season, especially in the postseason, but overall he was a solid blue liner for most of his time in Minnesota.  

“…On the other side of it with Jake (Middleton), Middsy’s man…he’s a great guy. He’s a big personality, a big part of the team. I know he’s very popular; this is probably, you know tough day for the guys, but they understand the business of it, and we’re just trying to make the team better but Jake gave us a bunch of good years and he’ll be missed but we wish him nothing but the best,” said Guerin to the media during a Zoom call for Wild.com at the end of day two of free agency when asked about Middleton. 

Wild Brought Back Familiar Faces 

It’s tough to watch players like Zuccarello and Middleton leave as they were very popular with fans, but as Guerin said multiple times in both of his Zoom calls on days one and two of free agency, this is a business and guys do move on. While guys move on, that means there are holes to fill, and the Wild did that by keeping Zach Bogosian and Nick Foligno as well as bringing in Calvin Pickard, Blake Coleman, Olli Määttä, and Maxim Shabanov. 

Like Middleton, Bogosian did have his fair share of struggles throughout the season, but he also faced quite a few injuries. The Wild felt his past experience with winning the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning was something they weren’t ready to part with, and Guerin reiterated that during his Zoom call. 

“…Bogo (Bogosian) brings a lot of intangibles to the team, he’s been there, he’s won, he knows what it takes, he’s got a big voice in the room and you know what when he’s healthy and he’s playing for us he’s really effective and we were happy that he’s coming back,” said Guerin to the media during his Zoom call on Wild.com on day one of free agency when asked about Bogosian’s injuries and returning. 

Wild Welcome Pickard & Coleman 

Obviously, Wild fans are familiar with Bogosian and Foligno, but they did bring in four new faces, two of whom were just together in Calgary. However, the first issue they addressed was their goaltending since Filip Gustavsson will likely miss some time at the beginning of the season as he recovers from surgery, and they don’t want to have to rush him back either, which is where the signing of Calvin Pickard from the Edmonton Oilers came in. 

“Yeah, it is a good opportunity. Last year didn’t go as planned for me; the two years prior were obviously exciting for me, got a lot of time in the net in the NHL and two Cup runs as well. Obviously lose in the finals both years so that was a good experience for me even at an older age in terms of goalies, but yeah, it’s a really good opportunity for me, you know it looks like there will be some time at the start of the year for me to get my feet under me and play behind such a good, really good defensive team as well. So I’m excited for that and excited for playing and putting on that jersey,” Pickard said to the media during a Zoom call for Wild.com following his signing on day one of free agency when asked about the opportunity in coming to Minnesota. 

With the goaltending situation mostly handled, that meant they needed to fill some offensive voids, and the Wild brought in veteran Blake Coleman, who’s played on past teams like the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, and most recently the Calgary Flames. Just like with Bogosian, Guerin mentioned how much he liked that Coleman has a winning resume, and that was one of the keys to bringing him in, but also his work on the penalty kill, which he prides himself on, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s familiar with head coach John Hynes as well. 

“Yeah, it was a big part of kind of my identity coming into the league, kind of where I found a lot of confidence in terms of just getting more ice time through the penalty kill and settling into that role, obviously with Hynesy in Jersey originally, and then it just kind of became part of my identity. I’ve always enjoyed it…it’s kind of my game, I’m not real flashy, but I feel I have a pretty good mind for the game and PK, there’s a lot of reads and understanding where to be, so it kind of fits my style and then I think I try to pride myself on the ability to chip in offensively through the kill as well. Obviously everybody knows that shorthanded goals can help turn a game around when it’s not supposed to, so yeah, I’ve kind of grown as I’ve gone…,” said Coleman to the media during a Zoom call for Wild.com following the trade when asked about his penalty kill abilities. 

Wild Bring in Shabanov & Määttä

The Wild weren’t done after Coleman, as they brought in his Flames teammate Olli Määttä, who will be crucial to the team’s defense. They do already have Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber, Jared Spurgeon, Zach Bogosian, Jonas Brodin, and, if he re-signs, Daemon Hunt. However, the Wild faced a lot of injuries, and they’ll need a player like Määttä, especially if he’s bouncing back in his career, which Guerin alluded to when asked about bringing him in.

“Yeah, to be honest with you, I think he had an amazing start to his career, I remember back in Pittsburgh he made the team as a I think he was 19 maybe 18 and it took us all off guard, but he was a very mature guy for his age back then and I think there was maybe a bit of lull in his career where…he had a couple of years where he wasn’t as good but it seems like the past three or four years he’s really found his game again and played really well and the one thing you can never, you don’t change is the character of a player, the competitveness, and that winning experience, so he’s got a lot to bring to our team,” Guerin said to the media in his day two Zoom call for Wild.com when asked about Määttä specifically. 

Although he was brought in before the trade was announced, we’re down to the final player the Wild added and are quite excited about, and that’s Maxim Shabanov. He has the ability to make his way in behind the defense without being detected and waits open on the weak side for a pass that he can slide right in as the goaltender tries to scramble over. He’s quick with the puck and isn’t afraid to wait out the goaltender when he has the puck, plus he has a year of NHL experience now, which Guerin was happy to point out in his Zoom call. 

“You know what, we actually tried to sign him coming out of Russia. There was a lot to be excited about with him because he’s on the upward trajectory, I think he will probably be more comfortable because he’s already spent a full year in North America, figuring out the life style, the NHL, how this game’s played over here and like I said, we tried to get him coming out of Russia as a free agent so we’re very happy to have him now and excited to see what he can do on our team,” Guerin said to the media later in his Zoom call for Wild.com on day two of free agency. 

Wild May Not be Done 

The Wild filled some big holes in their lineup, but they may not be done just yet either. Guerin mentioned on the Zoom calls that they have an idea of where their new acquisitions will fit on the roster, but obviously they have to wait and see how everything goes during training camp and who has the best chemistry. 

Regardless, Guerin was adamant that the Wild had to be patient when it came to free agency, but not too patient either. It’s a messy waiting game sometimes, and of course it can be difficult because there are so many things that can happen with players and who they decide to play for. If someone the Wild originally wanted decided to go elsewhere, they have to figure out who they want in place of that player, or if they divert, so on and so forth. It can get hectic, but Guerin said he has a great team of staff in place who make sure he stays patient and focuses on their “big picture”. 

Guerin also mentioned that while they made some progress last year, it’s not enough and they had to make some moves to not “stay complacent.” He continued that it wouldn’t have been horrible to bring back the same players; they’ve done that before, but it wasn’t working, so they had to make some changes. 

It’s still very early in the offseason, and there are likely more moves to be made; it’ll be interesting to see what the Wild do. This team is already different from what they were, and hopefully these are all steps in the right direction.