It’s not often that one of the highest paid players on a team’s roster is also one of its most undervalued ones, but that appears to be the case in Minnesota. Based on their examination of every NHL contract, The Athletic considers Matt Boldy’s 7-year, $49 million deal that was signed back in 2023 as one of the best contracts in the league.
Since signing the deal in January of 2023, the 24-year-old has recorded back-to-back seasons of 25+ goals and 65+ point seasons all while carrying a cap hit of $7 million. His production, along with his defensive play carried a market value of $12.3 million according to their calculations which was one of the 10 best values in the league according to the website (New Jersey’s Jack Hughes topped the list).
With the salary cap expected to rise each year over the remaining five years of Boldy’s current deal, his value should only increase as time goes by, even if he just maintains his current production levels. Of course, his general manager Bill Guerin believes he has the talent to do more.
Guerin is on record as believing that Boldy could be a “50, 50 guy” capable of scoring 50 goals and/or adding 50 assists. With his spot on the top line all but cemented, the winger should have all the opportunity in the world to achieve either one of those goals.
Those might be some lofty aspirations on the part of his general manager, but it doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement over what was a pretty solid 2024-25 season for Boldy. He reached 27 goals on the season (the third straight that he’s been over 25) despite a 20-game stretch where he scored just twice. If he can eliminate those types of funks, which have plagued him throughout his young career, 40 goals could be well within reach.
A healthy season from Kirill Kaprizov should aid in Boldy’s production. Having a couple of 40-goal threats on the same line forces defenders to make choices and tends to open up the ice for either one. With more space, Boldy, who has never been shy about shooting the puck, is even more dangerous.
No matter how the Marco Rossi situation avails itself, the Wild want to score more goals next year. They’ll get plenty of help from some of the young players coming into the system, but they could also see a few more from their talented young veteran.