St. Paul, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild announced that they signed 6-foot-4 forward Jujhar Khaira to a one-year, two-way contract worth $775K on Sunday. The Wild now have roughly $868K in cap space with Calen Addison unsigned, according to Puck Pedia. Elliotte Friedman first reported it, which was followed up by Michael Russo on Twitter.

Khaira spent six years with the Edmonton Oilers before signing a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks before the 2021-22 season. He played 27 games in his first season with the Blackhawks, then missed the rest of the year after getting back surgery. 

On year two of his contract with the Blackhawks, Khaira played in 51 games and missed another 26 games due to another back injury. 

Throughout his career, Khaira has been seen as a good defensive fourth-line center and has the ability to pick up 10-15 points. 

According to Evolving Hockey, Khaira was in the 83rd percentile in the NHL in the defensive side of things. His ability to play all three forward positions and kill penalties, gives the Wild some extra flexibility on the fourth line.

This move seems to be a result of someone on the Wild roster potentially not being ready for camp, or it could also just be extra insurance just in case someone gets hurt.

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