With Bernier off the market and Fluery likely staying put in Pittsburgh and Luongo's problems playing in St. Paul, the Minnesota Wild have, per Michael Russo, likely re-signed goaltender Niklas Backstrom for one more kick at the can. Probably the most reasonable thing to do given the lowered salary cap and the tight market for quality goaltending, especially given the fact that Hardin'g M.S. is a big wild card (excuse the pun) for Minnesota and given Darcy Kuemper's relative inexperience in the big show. Hopefully, Backstrom gave the Wild a hometown discount so as to give GM Chuck Fletcher the ability to make some more moves as the Wild have about $6.7 Million in cap space flexibility per capgeek.com after Brodin crushed every single performance bonus he could. If not, then expect more of the same next year with a very similar lineup with an addition/substraction here and there in terms of buyouts and/or trades and/or players making the jump from the AHL to the NHL.

UPDATE: Russo reports that the contract is for 3 years with just under a $4 Million cap hit.

PRESS RELEASE FROM WILD:

MINNESOTA WILD AGREES TO TERMS WITH GOALTENDER NIKLAS BACKSTROM

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has agreed to terms with goaltender Niklas Backstrom on a three-year contract.

Backstrom, 35 (2/13/78), went 24-15-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA), a .909 save percentage (SV%) and two shutouts in 42 games (41 starts) with Minnesota during the 2012-13 season. He ranked tied for first in the NHL in wins, tied for fifth in games played and seventh in minutes played. The 6-foot-2, 194-pound native of Helsinki, Finland, established a franchise-record with an eight-game winning streak from March 14-30 and was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week on March 4 and Second Star of the Week on March 25. Backstrom did not appear in a playoff game due to injury and underwent successful sports hernia surgery on May 16.

He is 184-124-45 with a 2.43 GAA, a .917 SV% and 28 shutouts in 369 career games during his seven-year career with Minnesota. Backstrom is the franchise leader in wins, shutouts, shutout streak (157:44), games played, starts (358) and minutes played (21,149). Since entering the league in 2006-07, he ranks tied for eighth in shutouts and SV%, ninth in games played, 10th in wins and 11th in GAA. Backstrom was originally signed by the Wild as a free agent on June 1, 2006.

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