ST. PAUL, Minn - When asked if they would consider bringing back some of its free agents, Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager responded by saying "possibly, yep."
The Wild have eight pending UFA's and six RFA's. Pending UFA's include Marcus Johansson, Gustav Nyquist, Devin Shore, Justin Brazeau, Jon Merrill, Travis Boyd, Cameron Crotty, and Tyler Madden (Iowa/AHL).
The six RFA's include Marco Rossi, Declan Chisholm, and Iowa's Adam Raska, Luke Toporowski, Michael Milne, Graeme Clarke, and Ryan O'Rourke.
When asked about Minnesota, Nyquist expressed he would love to stay with the Wild and would welcome a contract to be on the team next year. The Wild traded a 2026 second-round pick for Nyquist who had two goals and seven points in 28 total games. Zero points in the playoffs.
Johansson, 34, had 11 goals and 34 points in 72 games this year and had two assists in five playoff games. It is hard to imagine the Wild bring back either of the two.
When asked how he will enter free agency and improving the team, Guerin said the defense is set. He expects that David Jiricek will push for a spot and Zeev Buium is set to push for a full roster spot next season.
The Wild have seven NHL defensemen under contract for next season but only have five in the AHL under contact. None of which have played NHL games. So although Guerin had said the defense is set, that should not rule out the possibility of signing a depth defensemen or two who have NHL experience. Whether that is Chisholm or someone in free agency, you would have to think a depth defenseman is needed.
Rossi, 23, seems like a guy the Wild will likely move on from despite a 60-point season and his second consecutive season playing every game. Brazeau had one goal, one assist and 34 hits in 19 games for the Wild after they traded Marat Khusnutdinov, Jakub Lauko, and a 2026 sixth-round pick for him.
Brazeau, 27, had two assists and 22 hits in six playoff games for the Wild. He could be a guy the Wild bring back. Shore did not play in the playoffs but played in 55 regular season games and had one goal and five points. Another guy the Wild could bring back.
Nonetheless, the Wild have some decisions to make on their pending free agents.
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