The local guy is staying with the Minnesota Wild. Nick Bjugstad, a Minneapolis native, signed a one-year extension with the franchise on Monday afternoon.
The contract is valued at $900,000 as Bjugstad avoided being an unrestricted free agent this month.
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher who can play both forward and center had six goals and 17 points in his first season with the Wild after he was obtained in a trade with Pittsburgh in September in exchange for a conditional pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
The forward added a goal in Game 6 of the Wild’s first-round playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Thirteen of his points came at home during the regular season, including three game-winning goals.
“Obviously it’s a bonus being here in Minnesota around family and friends but I’m here to take this seriously,” Bjugstad said in a media availability session shortly after the trade. “Obviously I’ve had pride with the Minnesota Wild. I watched them growing up my whole life.”
The move comes three days after the Wild signed Joel Eriksson Ek to a eight-year extension
Bjugstad has 103 goals and 224 points in nine NHL seasons overall spent with the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Wild. He has five points in 15 playoff games over his career.
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Bjugstad had a career-best +7 plus/minus rating this season. He also had 48 hits and 22 blocked shots during the regular season.
Bjugstad played three seasons at the University of Minnesota and had 54 goals and 98 points in 109 games from the 2010-13 seasons.
He was a Mr. Hockey winner in 2010 and had 35 goals and 69 points in 30 games as a member of the Blaine High School boys hockey team.
The Wild might not be done in re-signing their players. even though the team has less than $16 million to do so.
Minnesota general manager Bill Guerin told media members on Saturday that the team has begun initial contract conversations with both Kevin Fiala and Kirill Kaprizov.
Michael Russo of The Athletic said that signing Kaprizov isn’t something that will happen imminently.
Russo wrote:
"It’s believed the Wild’s preference is to sign him for seven or eight years in the $8 million to $9 million range. Kaprizov’s camp is looking for a shorter-term deal because of the flat, $81.5 million cap and because if the Calder Trophy winner continues on his current trajectory, he conceivably could hit a monster contract north of $10 million in two or three years."
The Wild have shown a commitment to locking up key contributors on the roster over the past two seasons.
Besides Ericksson Ek and Bjugstad, the Minnesota Wild have signed Jared Spurgon, Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman and Jonas Brodin to contract extensions since 2019