July 1 marks the opening of NHL Free Agency. With the trade of Jason Pominville and Marco Scandella to Buffalo, the Wild already made a significant move this week. Saturday has also brought a couple of new players into the mix.
Here’s a list of the player signings the Wild have announced so far:
Ryan Murphy, defenseman. One-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$350,000).
The 24-year-old defenseman had two assists in 27 games with the Carolina Hurricanes and one assist in seven games with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL last season. He’s played 151 games (37 points) in the NHL in five seasons, all with Carolina. Carolina drafted him in the first round (12th overall) in 2011.
Landon Ferraro, forward. Two-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$375,000 in 2017-18 and 2018-19).
Ferraro, 25, scored seven goals and eight assists in the AHL last season. He’s also been with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins for a total of 75 games in the NHL. He also played in seven Stanley Cup playoff games with the Red Wings in 2014-15. He was drafted in 2009 by Detroit in the second round (32nd overall).
Cal O’Reilly, forward. Two-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$375,000 in 2017-18 and 2018-19).
The 30-year-old played 11 games with the Buffalo Sabres and 62 games in the AHL last season. He has 144 career NHL games under his belt over six seasons with Nashville, Arizona, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. He’s played 525 games in the AHL. O’Reilly was a fifth round (150th overall) selection by Nashville in the 2005 draft.
Alex Grant, defenseman. One-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$300,000).
Grant, 28, spent his time in the AHL last season with the Providence Bruins. He put up 49 points (17 goals, 32 assists) in 70 games. His 17 goals — six of them on the power play — ranked him second among AHL defensemen. He played another 69 AHL games the previous season. He’s scored two career goals in seven NHL games with Anaheim and Arizona. One of those tallies came in his NHL debut on Nov. 30, 2013. His next goal came against the Wild in his second game — Dec. 11, 2013. Pittsburgh drafted him in the fourth round (118th overall) in 2007.
Niklas Svedberg, goaltender. One-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$350,000).
The 27-year-old goalie is a native of Sollentuna, Sweden who played in the Kontinental Hockey League last season putting up a 14-17-12 record with a 2.99 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. He stands at 6-1 and went 29-19-3 with five shutouts in his first KHL season in 2015-16. He’s also played 19 NHL games with Boston (2013-15) and 97 games in the AHL with Providence (2012-15). Boston signed him as a free agent on May 29, 2012.
Kyle Rau, forward. One-year, two-way contract ($700,000/$200,000).
The Minnesota native signed a deal to play for his hometown team. Rau, 24, played 24 games with the Florida Panthers last season and 48 games in the AHL. He made his NHL debut with Florida on Feb. 20, 2016 as part of nine NHL games that season. He played hockey for Eden Prairie High School, scoring 69 points in his senior season in 2010-11 when he was also named Mr. Hockey in 2011 as part of the state championship-winning season for the Eagles. He played four seasons at the University of Minnesota (2011-15), scoring 67 goals and 97 points. Florida drafted him in the third round (91st overall) in 2011 when the draft was held at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Kyle Quincey, defenseman. One-year, $1.25 contract.
The 31-year-old scored six goals and nine assists in 73 games with the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets last season. He also tallied 97 hits and 97 blocked shots. Columbus acquired Quincey via a March 1, 2017 trade. He’s played in 12 NHL seasons for 568 career games with Detroit, Los Angeles, Colorado, New Jersey and Columbus. Detroit drafted him in the fourth round (132nd overall) in 2003.
July 3 Update
Mike Reilly, defenseman. Two-year, $1.45 million contract ($675,000 in 2017-18 and $775,000 in 2018-19. $725,000 average annual value).
Zach Palmquist, defenseman. One-year, two-way contract ($726,000/$70,000).
We’ll continue to update this story as more players are signed.