The Minnesota Wild made a significant addition to their lineup during the free agent frenzy and they did so at a very reasonable cost.
Next season, they will have Eric Staal patrolling the middle of the ice, as the Wild signed him to a 3-year deal, worth $10.5 million (a $3.5 million cap hit per year).
Staal, 31, was second in the league in games played last season, appearing in 83 contests between Carolina and New York, scoring 13 goals and 39 points in that time as well. It was certainly a down year for Staal, who may have been weighed down with the looming free agency and leaving the Hurricanes, where he had spent so much time, so it will be very interesting to see if he will be refreshed with this new deal in Minnesota.
The Wild do get to add a lot of leadership and experience with Staal, who won a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes and should be a great second line centre and getting some quality time with some of their young talent. This might not be the end-all of deals for the Wild, but it is certainly a great building block for the club.
With the security and how the Wild are being built, I think Staal's projections are definitely trending upwards.
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