Wild

NHL Free Agency: List of Wild Signings

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).

The team announced Monday that it re-signed restricted free-agent Reilly to a two-year deal. Reilly, who turns 24 on July 13, played 17 games with the Wild and 57 with the Iowa Wild this past season. He tallied 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in Iowa and scored one NHL goal with the Wild. He led Iowa defensemen in scoring, assists and shots on goal (129). He also played 29 games with the Wild in 2015-16. The deal comes two years after the Wild originally signed Reilly on July 1, 2015.
July 5 update

Zach Palmquist, defenseman. One-year, two-way contract ($726,000/$70,000).

Wednesday, the Wild re-signed this restricted free agent who scored 21 points this past year with the Iowa Wild. The 26-year-old South St. Paul native led the team’s defensemen in games played (72), was second in assists (19) and third in scoring (two goals, 19 assists). He’s played parts of three seasons with the Iowa Wild after a four-year career with the Minnesota State Mavericks where he never missed a game, setting the school record for consecutive games played (2011-15). He was a 2009 finalist for the Mr. Hockey award in his time playing for South St. Paul High School. The Wild originally signed Palmquist as a free agent on March 30, 2015.
Kurtis Gabriel, forward. One-year, two-way contract ($715,000/$70,000).
The Wild re-signed the 24-year-old restricted free agent to a one-year deal, General Manager Chuck Fletcher announced July 10. Gabriel played 13 games with the Wild this past season, scoring one assist and 29 penalty minutes. He played another 40 games with the Iowa Wild for eight goals, and two assists. He’s spent parts of the past four seasons in Iowa for a total of 190 games and 40 points. He made his NHL debut in November 2015 and played in four playoff games with the Wild in the spring of 2016. The Wild drafted Gabriel as a third-round pick (81st overall) in 2013.

We’ll continue to update this story as more players are signed.


Listen to Heather Every Week on the Cold Omaha Staff Pod!

Wild
The Wild’s Defense Is Good. So Why Can’t They Kill Penalties?
By Hockey Wilderness - Nov 8, 2024
Wild
Kaprizov Leads Wild To Win Over Sharks
By Hockey Wilderness - Nov 8, 2024
Wild

Is It Time To Hit the Panic Button On Yakov Trenin?

Below is a summary of Yakov Trenin’s season so far. The Russian winger has not lived up to the four-year, $14 million deal general manager Bill Guerin […]

Continue Reading