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Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Joel Eriksson Ek to 8-Yr Extension

The Minnesota Wild have re-signed forward Joel Eriksson Ek to a hefty 8-year, $42 million contract.

The Minnesota Wild got a big piece of business done on Friday. They have re-signed Joel Eriksson Ek to an 8-year, $42 million contract. The deal carries a $5.25 million AAV and goes through the 2028-29 season. It also includes a 10-team no-trade clause.

Related: Sabres and Jack Eichel “Heading Toward a Resolution”

Eriksson Ek’s deal represents the first of three big re-signings the Wild prioritized this summer; Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala are the others. As Sarah McLellan, who covers the Wild and the NHL for @StribSports writes, “Eriksson Ek is coming off the best offensive season of his NHL tenure, scoring a career-high 19 goals. He finished fourth in Selke Trophy voting as the NHL’s top defensive forward.”

The creators of Evolving Hockey write of Ek’s contributions to the team, “Ek is the most underrated player in the league. It sometimes feels like the Wild don’t fully realize how good he is.” That said, they had also predicted he would likely receive a three-year extension worth an annual average value of $3.67 million. Clearly, they were a bit shy.

The Wild’s decision to take him over Brock Boeser in the 2015 NHL is starting to pay off, when the team was criticized at first. He’s one of the better two-way centers in the NHL and his offense is starting to round into form. He was especially important during the Wild’s recent playoff series and his underlying numbers were extremely strong.

Joel Eriksson Ek Minnesota Wild
Joel Eriksson Ek Minnesota Wild

An Interesting Deal for the Wild

This is the first eight-year max deal in franchise history (rule implemented in 2013). Kaprizov and Fiala remain restricted free agents as of now. The Wild have $16.85 million left in salary cap room with 15 players signed next year.

Some will ask the question, if the Wild were willing to give this kind of deal to Ek, one has to wonder what kind of money will be offered to get all three players signed. Remember though, Minnesota sees this player as a true diamond in the rough. They believe they are investing in the player he’ll become, and in a way, the player people don’t already give him enough credit for being.

Next: Rangers and Adam Fox Already Considering Long-Term Extension

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