The Minnesota Wild didn't have the most attention-grabbing offseason, especially considering they are trying to land a top line center. Thus far, the most substantial move they made was acquiring winger Blake Coleman and defenseman Olli Maata from the Calgary Flames. Other than that, they did retain Michael McCarron well before free agency.
During the NHL Draft, Bill Guerin was voted the General Manager of the Year for his work this past season. His most notable move was acquiring Quinn Hughes, who played a role in the team making it to the second round of the playoffs. But this offseason, there was one decision that Guerin made that is not winning over some in the NHL world.
The Athletic's Harman Dayal went over his nine best contracts signed in the NHL free agency period. One of Dayal's nine is former Wild winger Mats Zuccarello's contract with the Los Angeles Kings, which on paper is a one-year, $1 million contract.
Former Wild winger Mats Zuccarello's contract with Kings named one of the best of NHL free agency
"Zuccarello is 38 and there are some durability concerns, but he’s still a bona fide top-six player," writes Dayal. "The undersized playmaking winger was nearly a point-per-game producer (54 points in 59 games) in 2025-26. He’s a very smart, crafty playmaker, and his three-game absence in the middle of Round 1 was also a reminder of how impactful he still is as a first-unit power-play weapon. Minnesota’s power play was firing on all cylinders to start the series, fell off a cliff when Zuccarello got hurt, and then got back on track when he returned."
At the time of the signing, it felt surprising that Zuccarello would sign such an affordable contract, as the incentive bonuses weren't revealed at the time. But now, it's known that Zuccarello will earn a $5 million performance bonus after the 10 game mark. He has $500,000 in remaining bonuses, but those carry playoff victory incentives.
Even though this is viewed as a bargain for the Kings, it really did feel like the Wild wanted to move on from Zuccarello altogether. Sure, his absence in the playoffs was felt, and he showcased incredible chemistry with star Kirill Kaprizov. But this was a Wild team that didn't have the most substantial amoutn of cap space, where they are soon set to give Quinn Hughes a lucrative contract extension. Additionally, Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that a coach told him that Zuccarello wasn't a positive on the power play, as he solely focused on getting the puck to Kaprizov.
Simply put, it felt as though the Wild and Guerin wanted to move on from Zuccarello. Now, the veteran winger joins another playoff team from the Western Conference in the Kings, who are navigating their first season in a long time without captain Anze Kopitar. We'll see if Zuccarello will experience more success in Los Angeles, especially in the playoffs, where he'll haved to primarily get through the Pacific Division, which is nowhere near as strong as the Central.
Ultimately, we'll see who was proven right by the end of next season. For now, Guerin is receiving some criticism for letting one of their most productive players leave.
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