Part Three on who the Minnesota Wild Should Sign

8. Ryan Dzingel (99pts)

BOSTON, MA – APRIL 25: Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Ryan Dzingel (19)] waits for a face off during Game 1 of the Second Round 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 25, 2019, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Ryan Dzingel is a curious case. Drafted in 2011 by the Ottawa Senators, the 27-year old played three seasons at (THE) Ohio State University before signing his Entry Level Contract and reporting to the Binghamton Senators (AHL affiliate) in 2014. He would make his NHL debut in December of 2015 and score his first goal two months later. His first full season with the Sens he would contribute 14 goals and 18 assists in 81 games and sign an extension for 2-years/$3.6M to avoid arbitration. Two years later he would be traded on deadline day with a 2019 7th round pick to Columbus for Anthony Duclair and 2nd round picks in 2020 and 2021.

Looking at his stat line, it’s an attractive pickup. In 2017, he had 23 goals and 18 assists in 79 games. Last season, in 78 games he had 26 goals and 30 assists. However, prior to being traded, he had 22 goals and 22 assists in 57 games. In 21 games with the Blue Jackets, he had 4 goals and 8 assists. There’s one stat that is unnerving. His plus/minus in 2017 was -17 and in 2018 was -9. That could be chalked up to one simple thing. He was playing in Ottawa where the defense and goaltender leave a lot to desire.

On a team where defense and goaltenders both exist and are productive, Dzingel would be +10 to +20 range. He has good size, good scoring ability, Fenton seems to love to stockpile centers, and with the pool of available scoring forwards shrinking, Dzingel could be a good depth pickup for the Wild to improve ability. A contract for Ryan Dzingel would likely be 4-years and somewhere between $8M to $10M for an AAV of about $2M to $2.5M.