Free agents focus for the Minnesota Wild

Key Restricted Free Agents

F Mason Shaw: Shaw made a valiant return to the lineup this season, signing a contract through the end of the season in February after recovering from the fourth ACL tear of his career. It’s become a biannual injury, with Shaw, still just 25-years-old, facing it in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. After having his 2022-23 campaign limited to just 59 games — his official rookie season — Shaw managed to appear in 20 games this season, recording three points and 34 penalty minutes. He also appeared in nine AHL games, recording seven points and a13 penalty minutes. Shaw is a depth forward and penalty-kill specialist, though his ability to once again battle back from injury should be enough to earn him another short-term, cheap contract — and another crack at a full year of healthy NHL play.

D Declan Chisholm: The Wild claimed Chisholm off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets in late January and immediately slotted him in to the team’s rotation of bottom-pair defenders. Chisholm would ultimately total 29 games with the Wild, playing through his official rookie season and scoring eight points along the way. He’s filled the role of the team’s offensively minded depth defenseman, one previously held by Calen Addison, who was traded to the San Jose Sharks in November. At 24, Chisholm doesn’t seem to be showing many signs of breakout potential, though he presents a young and cheap change-of-pace option to round out the Wild’s defense.

F Adam Beckman: The time has come for a decision on Adam Beckman, who has yet to find his stride in the NHL despite 23 career games. Eleven of those games came this year, with Beckman managing two of the first three assists of his career and adding 12 penalty minutes. He’s been an effective scorer in the minor leagues, tallying 19 goals and 33 points in 51 games this year after posting 24 goals and 36 points in 53 AHL games last year. That’s a promising pace, especially on a meager Iowa Wild offense, though there’s no telling what the path forward for Beckman may look like. His looming contract negotiations should be telling of Minnesota’s intentions with its 2019 third-round selection, as well as his chances of carving out an everyday role in the NHL next season.

Other RFAs: F Dmitry Ovchinnikov, F Adam Raska, F Sam Hentges, F Samuel Walker, D Simon Johansson, G Hunter Jones

Key Unrestricted Free Agents

D Dakota Mermis: Mermis was Minnesota’s de facto seventh defenseman this season, bouncing between the lineup through the early parts of the season before earning a daily depth role following Addison’s trade. He appeared in a career-high 47 games as a result, netting eight points and 33 penalty minutes.  Mermis is yet another cheap option for depth defense in Minnesota, though he faces crowded competition for minutes should he re-sign.

D Alex Goligoski: The Wild ended up turning away from Goligoski this season, as Mermis emerged as a legitimate candidate for minutes during Goligoski’s 15-game absence to a lower-body injury early in the season. The 38-year-old veteran would end up a healthy scratch for multiple games in the second half of the season, though he did still manage 10 assists in the 36 games he appeared in. It seems the curtains are beginning to draw closed on Goligoski’s 16-year career in the NHL, which featured a Stanley Cup in his rookie season of 2009 and saw him reach 1,000 games in 2022. Even if Goligoski’s intent on playing more, he’ll seemingly have to find a new home in free agency  — after losing his spot with the Wild.

D Will Butcher: Minnesota acquired Butcher in January, sending AHL forward Maxim Cajkovic back to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Butcher has spent the last two seasons entirely in the AHL, serving out two separate league-minimum, one-year contracts and totaling a combined 59 points in 103 games. He’s far way from his breakout 2017-18 rookie season when he scored 44 points with the New Jersey Devils. Butcher’s last NHL stint came with the 2021-22 Buffalo Sabres, when he managed eight points in 37 games. He’s likely doomed for another league-minimum contract this season and will need to fight his up from a minor league role.

Other UFAs: F Jacob Lucchini, F Turner Elson, F Steven Fogarty, F Jujhar Khaira, F Nick Swaney, G Zane McIntyre

Projected cap space

The Minnesota Wild can enjoy rare peace of mind this summer, facing a very minimal list of pending free agents in terms of both quantity and projected cost. The team should have plenty of room to re-sign its choice of the departing names, with $6.256M in projected cap space. With a backlog of depth defenders and a mostly filled-out lineup, the Wild could be in a prime position to make at least one lucrative free-agent addition — likely focused on bringing a boost to the bottom-six.