The Minnesota Wild have signed forward Matt Boldy to a seven-year, $49 million contract, Wild general manager Bill Guerin confirmed Monday. Here’s what you need to know.
- The extension carries an average annual value of $7 million and runs through the 2029-30 season.
- In his second season with the Wild, Boldy scored 12 goals and 29 points in 42 games.
- Boldy is second on the Wild in shots and ranks fourth in goals, goals, power play points (15) and power play goals (five) this season.
Start the week with a bold statement 😤
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— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) January 16, 2023
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The Wild selected Boldy, 21, with the No. 12 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 201-pound forward has 27 goals and 68 points in 89 career NHL regular season games with Minnesota.
Why extend Bold now?
Boldy was set to be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Wild wanted to get his deal done first to see how much cap space they would free up for a few others. A $7MM AAV with Boldy leaves around $9MM for Phillip Gustavson, Sam Steele, Cullen Addison, Mason Shaw, Brandon Duheim, plus VCs like Freddie Gaudreau. It also likely means the Wild could make a deal or two to clear cap space. – Smith
Boldy’s influence on Wild
Kirill Kaprizov is the Wild’s best player, but Boldy is one of their other best scorers/playmakers. He has 12 goals this year after 27 last season and will be a catalyst if Minnesota makes a run for the playoffs. To have Kaprizov, Boldy and Joel Erickson locked up up front, they’re in good shape when the cap goes up in the coming years. – Smith
Required reading
(Photo by Sean M. Huffey/Getty Images)
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