Marat Khusnutdinov's first practice The Wild lost a few players to free agency on July 1st but a few of them still remain unsigned today. Dakota Mermis, the veteran defender, has now signed a one-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mermis, 30, played in 47 games for the Wild last season. He had three goals, eight points, and was a minus-2. The Wild signed Mermis in 2020 after he played in 20 NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes and the New Jersey Devils across two seasons. The undrafted defender appeared mainly in the AHL but he did play in seven NHL games across three seasons with the Wild. Last season, with injuries and poor play, Mermis got in 47 games with the team and didn't look out of place. He has now signed a one-year contract worth $775,000 with the Maple Leafs to presumedly be the team's seventh or eighth defensemen. Make sure you bookmark The Hockey News' Minnesota Wild page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild/] for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more. OTHER WILD NEWS
