The Minnesota Wild wasted no time on the first day of NHL free agency, agreeing to terms with defenseman Alex Goligoski and forward Frederick Gaudreau on Wednesday.
Goligoski agreed to a one-year, $5 million deal, with Gaudreau coming on board with a two-year, $2.4 million contract, general manager Bill Guerin announced.
Goligoski, who turns 36 on Friday, spent last season with the Arizona Coyotes. In 56 games, he had 22 points (three goals, 19 assists) and led the team with 108 blocked shots.
Signing with the Wild is a homecoming for Goligoski, who grew up in Grand Rapids, Minn., and played collegiately at Minnesota.
In 924 career games over 14 seasons with Pittsburgh (2007-11), Dallas (2011-16) and Arizona (2016-21), he has 429 points (83 goals, 346 assists), 308 penalty minutes and nine game-winning goals. He was a member of the Penguins’ Stanley Cup-winning team in 2009, and in 43 career playoff games, he has seven goals and 14 assists.
Gaudreau, 28, tallied 10 points (two goals, eight assists) and a plus-10 rating in 19 games with the Penguins last season. He set career highs in points, assists and plus/minus rating. He contributed three points in six Stanley Cup playoffs games in 2020-21.
The Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Wild in seven games in the first round.
–Field Level Media