The Minnesota Wild have re-signed restricted free agent Nick Seeler to a three-year, $2.175 million deal.
The 25-year-old Eden Prairie native and Minnesota alum has been with the Wild organization since they drafted him in the fifth round in 2011.
Seeler, showed promise in a 22-game debut with the Wild last season. He even stepped up in the playoffs to a second pairing role after Ryan Suter’s injury, averaging over 17 minutes per game as the Wild fell to the Jets in five games.
Seeler didn’t light up the stat sheet, scoring six points in 27 combined games, but showed lots of poise and promise in his own zone, paving the way for him to compete for the third-line, left-side position this season with the Wild.
It remains to be seen if the Wild will bring in more competition for Seeler to win a job with the team this fall, but he already figures to jockey with Carson Soucy and Gustav Olofsson for that third pairing spot this fall, provided none of the trio are traded.
In the grand scheme of things, his $715,000 average annual value is a tremendous bargain for the Wild if Seeler can prove himself worthy of the full-time, third-pairing job. and a not a tough financial pill to swallow if he needs to spend some time in Iowa or spend his time as a healthy scratch.
Seeler could end up being an even bigger piece to the puzzle down the line if he continues to improve, as Jonas Brodin’s name is brought up frequently in trade rumors. That would bump Seeler up to the second pairing with Matt Dumba or Jared Spurgeon, the latter of which he played with to end the season.
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