Minnesota Wild: What Free Agent Signings Add to the Team
By Turner Olson
It was a busy first day of free agency for the Minnesota Wild as they signed both Eric Staal and Chris Stewart to contracts. Both players will be strong veteran additions that will pay dividends for the Wild down the stretch.
The Minnesota Wild were active early in the free agency period, as it signed two players to contracts on Friday. Eric Staal was brought in on a reported 3 year $10.5 million contract and Chris Stewart was signed to a 2 year $2.3 million deal.
Lets look at where these players fit on the roster, starting with Staal. The 31-year-old joins the Wild and brings a big name to the lineup. Although he is not the player he once was, we are talking about a guy who has five 30 goal seasons in his career. However, Staal is still capable of putting up somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-40 points.
After his trade to New York last season, he was placed in a third line center role that clearly hurt his production. However with the Wild that could change, given that the third line of Nino Niedrreiter, Erik Haula, and Jason Pominville played well together in last seasons playoffs the team may opt to use him as their second line center.
This possibility increases given the fact Mikael Granlund was more effective playing on the wing last season, leaving the second line center position open for Staal. General Manager Chuck Fletcher confirmed as much today. Naming Koivu, Staal, and Haula as their top 3 centers going forward. Fletcher thought Granlund excelled at the left-wing position and would like him at that spot going forward.
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Staal also adds playoff experience to a roster that could use it after having failed to get past the second round in four consecutive trips to the playoffs. His experience winning the Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 will be invaluable to the Wild and the future playoff endeavors.
The addition of Chris Stewart is an interesting one. He played very well for the Wild down the stretch and playoffs a year ago. Plus he adds toughness and a scoring ability to a team that is lacking in that department.
Stewart also has past experience with new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau, after having played for him in Anaheim last season. In the past, he has shown the ability to move up and down the lineup and perform in whatever role the team needs him. That sort of flexibility, toughness, and size is an asset to the Wild’s forward corps in whatever role he finds himself in.
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The main themes that stem from these signings is that both players offer flexibility, size, and veteran leadership to the team. All three are areas the Wild sorely lacked in last season and these moves, if they pan out the way the team is expecting, make this team much more dangerous going forward.