The Minnesota Wild had a fairly active July 1st, signing four players. Their biggest move of the day came when they signed forward Mats Zuccarello to a five-year contract worth $30 million. They were expected to be somewhat active, but they did not necessarily do what they needed to do, which was get younger. Anyways, here’s a recap of their day and a short write-up on each of the players.
- Ryan Hartman, F. Hartman was signed to a two-year, $3.8 million contract ($1.9 million AAV). In 83 games played this season, he tallied 12 goals and 14 assists. He started the season as a member of the Nashville Predators but was traded at the deadline to the Philadelphia Flyers. The way the two teams’ schedules worked he ended up playing in 83 games between them, so no, that is not a typo. Drafted 30th overall of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, Hartman has appeared in 245 career NHL games, during which he has produced 42 goals and 47 assists. The 24-year-old right wing is on his fourth team in five NHL seasons.
- Mats Zuccarello, F. Zuccarello was signed to a five-year contract worth $30 million ($6 million AAV). In 48 games played this season, he produced 12 goals and 28 assists. He started the season with the New York Rangers, with whom he had previously spent his entire career, but he was traded at the deadline to the Dallas Stars. Unfortunately for the Stars, he only played in one game for them before breaking his arm, and then appeared in just one more game at the end of the season and in 13 playoff games. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Rangers before the 2010-11 season, Zuccarello has appeared in 511 career NHL games, in which he has recorded 114 goals and 241 assists. The 31-year-old right wing is on his third team in nine NHL seasons after spending his first eight and a half seasons with the Rangers.
- Luke Johnson, F. Johnson was signed to a two-year, $1.4 million contract ($700,000 AAV). He appeared in 15 NHL games for the Chicago Blackhawks last season, recording zero goals and one assist. He also played in 53 games for the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford Ice Hogs, in which he produced 18 goals and 13 assists. Drafted in the fifth round (134th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Blackhawks, Johnson has appeared in just the 15 career NHL games mentioned above but has played in 199 career AHL games, in which he has tallied 39 goals and 39 assists. The 24-year-old center is leaving the only organization he has known over his three-season professional career in Chicago.
- Gabriel Dumont, F. Dumont was signed to a two-year, $1.4 million contract ($700,000 AAV). He did not appear in any NHL games last season, but he played in 59 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, in which he produced 15 goals and 28 assists. He also appeared in four playoff games for the team, in which he did not register any points. Drafted in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens, Dumont has appeared in 87 career NHL games, most recently in the 2017-18 season, and has recorded four goals and five assists over them. The 28-year-old center is on his fourth organization over his nine-season professional career.
This post will be updated later if and when the team makes any more signings.
Hockey Addict 