Brad Ratgen: Russo Reports: Backstrom Re-Signs with Wild ("Trust Me, It's Done.") Goalie Niklas Backstrom re-signs with Minnesota Wild, per Michael Russo.

Is this good?

Wait Backstrom resigning for 3 years at UNDER 4m per? Seems like a steal to me. Almost too good to be true...

Wait Backstrom resigning for 3 years at UNDER 4m per? Seems like a steal to me. Almost too good to be true...
- OilerFanFromBC

yeah, that is a good deal for minny. i would still consider backstrom as the starter over harding.

Its certainly a cap friendly number but the term is probably one year longer then I would have expected.

Smart deal.

Great deal!

Smart. I'd take Backstrom on the cheap over giving up a king's ransom for Miller/Fleury/Smith any day.

Decent deal for MN, but they are still up against it for the cap. Leaves them with 2.7 million in cap space for next year... and still needing to sign 3 more players. Losing Clutterbuck, Bouchard, and Cullen without real replacements is not going to make them a better team, and doesn't seem likely they will be able to afford any of the three.

Fortunately, they are going to have a pretty easy division. Top two spots are probably locked up by Blues & Blackhawks, but they should be right there with Jets, Preds, Avs, & Stars fighting for the third spot, or maybe the second wild card.

Good deal...not what he used to be but still a solid guy to keep around.

Decent deal for MN, but they are still up against it for the cap. Leaves them with 2.7 million in cap space for next year... and still needing to sign 3 more players. Losing Clutterbuck, Bouchard, and Cullen without real replacements is not going to make them a better team, and doesn't seem likely they will be able to afford any of the three.

Fortunately, they are going to have a pretty easy division. Top two spots are probably locked up by Blues & Blackhawks, but they should be right there with Jets, Preds, Avs, & Stars fighting for the third spot, or maybe the second wild card.
- Antilles

I think the set of circumstances in which he would not be apart of the roster are very small. He's a great player.

Decent deal for MN, but they are still up against it for the cap. Leaves them with 2.7 million in cap space for next year... and still needing to sign 3 more players. Losing Clutterbuck, Bouchard, and Cullen without real replacements is not going to make them a better team, and doesn't seem likely they will be able to afford any of the three. Fortunately, they are going to have a pretty easy division. Top two spots are probably locked up by Blues & Blackhawks, but they should be right there with Jets, Preds, Avs, & Stars fighting for the third spot, or maybe the second wild card.
- Antilles

Wild are far and away the 3rd best team in the new division. Not even close.

Wild are far and away the 3rd best team in the new division. Not even close.
- Brad Ratgen

How far ahead of the Jets were Wild points wise? 4 points seems pretty close to me, especially when one team, the Wild, is losing some players without the ability to replace them, and the other team, the Jet's, isn't losing anyone and has cap space to make additions.

Per TSN its a 3yr 10.25m contract. Thats like 3.5m per. Amazing deal for Minny!!

Thats a pretty good contract considering his accolades. Nicely done, now give us Clutterbuck

Decent deal for MN, but they are still up against it for the cap. Leaves them with 2.7 million in cap space for next year... and still needing to sign 3 more players. Losing Clutterbuck, Bouchard, and Cullen without real replacements is not going to make them a better team, and doesn't seem likely they will be able to afford any of the three.

Fortunately, they are going to have a pretty easy division. Top two spots are probably locked up by Blues & Blackhawks, but they should be right there with Jets, Preds, Avs, & Stars fighting for the third spot, or maybe the second wild card.
- Antilles

I don't think they are shedding a tear not having a replacement for PMB. It's not like he's been a valued producer. Clutterbuck is a different story. Cullen seemed to play well and they might want to try to resign him. Curious is Justin Faulk is going to be resigned. He is a RFA. Is Spurgeon possibly on his way out?

Great deal for resigning Backstrom for that cap hit.

Per TSN its a 3yr 10.25m contract. Thats like 3.5m per. Amazing deal for Minny!!
- OilerFanFromBC

3.5 should probably leave Wild enough space to resign both Clutterbuck & Spurgeon. Suppose they could buyout Gilbert, but then top priority for that money would have to be replacing him in their top 4.

Still, and maybe this is just me, but struggling with the cap to keep your team that barely made the playoffs together is rough times. At least after next year they will have some cap space to try and retool the roster.

How far ahead of the Jets were Wild points wise? 4 points seems pretty close to me, especially when one team, the Wild, is losing some players without the ability to replace them, and the other team, the Jet's, isn't losing anyone and has cap space to make additions.
- Antilles

Wild aren't losing anyone yet and, even if they do, they have a great crop of young guys just chomping at the bit to get the call to play with the big club. Exactly who do you think the Wild will be losing that they can't replace via AHL prospects and/or free agency/trades?

I don't think they are shedding a tear not having a replacement for PMB. It's not like he's been a valued producer. Clutterbuck is a different story. Cullen seemed to play well and they might want to try to resign him. Curious is Justin Faulk is going to be resigned. He is a RFA. Is Spurgeon possibly on his way out?

Great deal for resigning Backstrom for that cap hit.
- Oneonta Penguin

I don't believe there is any way that they let Spurgeon go. He was one of only a few guys on the blue line that they could regularly depend on.

Thats a pretty good contract considering his accolades. Nicely done, now give us Clutterbuck
- nelson911

I say Clutter may get traded. What do you have of value to give us for him in Pitt?

Wild aren't losing anyone yet and, even if they do, they have a great crop of young guys just chomping at the bit to get the call to play with the big club. Exactly who do you think the Wild will be losing that they can't replace via AHL prospects and/or free agency/trades?
- Brad Ratgen

Why are you so defensive? He was making an observation, relax.

Wild aren't losing anyone yet and, even if they do, they have a great crop of young guys just chomping at the bit to get the call to play with the big club. Exactly who do you think the Wild will be losing that they can't replace via AHL prospects and/or free agency/trades?
- Brad Ratgen

Wild are looking at possibly losing Clutterbuck; Cullen (who played top 6 minutes for them) and Bouchard. (Agree with you, no way they lose Spurgeon, but keeping him will take up the majority of the cap space they have left.) Not sure how you are expecting Wild to replace them in free agency... Wild have no cap space. Any trades Wild make would have to be salary for salary... meaning you are going to open holes as you try and fill other holes. And just about every team in the league has a farm team full of guys chomping at the bit to play with the big club. Sure, Wild's prospect system looks pretty solid... but so does the system for the teams they need to be trying to beat. Hockeysfuture puts Wild prospect group at 4th... while the elite of their division are ranked at 7th and 10th.

Regardless, you are basically saying Wild should be able to maintain the status quo... even if you are right, and they do, they aren't going to be making the big steps to improve the team, while teams around them can.

Honestly, it seems pretty self-evident to me that a team who only made the playoffs by a tie-breaker struggling with the cap to maintain that for next year is having rough times.

Wild are looking at possibly losing Clutterbuck; Cullen (who played top 6 minutes for them) and Bouchard. (Agree with you, no way they lose Spurgeon, but keeping him will take up the majority of the cap space they have left.) Not sure how you are expecting Wild to replace them in free agency... Wild have no cap space. Any trades Wild make would have to be salary for salary... meaning you are going to open holes as you try and fill other holes. And just about every team in the league has a farm team full of guys chomping at the bit to play with the big club. Sure, Wild's prospect system looks pretty solid... but so does the system for the teams they need to be trying to beat. Hockeysfuture puts Wild prospect group at 4th... while the elite of their division are ranked at 7th and 10th.

Regardless, you are basically saying Wild should be able to maintain the status quo... even if you are right, and they do, they aren't going to be making the big steps to improve the team, while teams around them can.

Honestly, it seems pretty self-evident to me that a team who only made the playoffs by a tie-breaker struggling with the cap to maintain that for next year is having rough times.
- Antilles

Sit back and watch Fletcher do his thing! Wild finish at least 3rd in the new division next year, if not higher. Bank on it.

Sit back and watch Fletcher do his thing! Wild finish at least 3rd in the new division next year, if not higher. Bank on it.
- Brad Ratgen

If not higher, in a division with the Blues and Blackhawks? Now you are just trying to troll, but you should really go read some Cloutier or Garth blogs and learn from them if your goal is to say ridiculous things and get people riled up. Wild are more likely to be earning a top 5 pick next year than they are to be finishing top 2 in the division.

I think Fletch really had no choice but to try and re-sign Backs, and apparently Nik was willing to settle for a contract that is more suitable to his performance level.

That being said, Backstrom is not a top 10 starter in the league, but he's head and shoulders better than the majority of back ups or bubble guys in the league.

As far as rounding out the roster in order to stay under the cap, I believe PMB will most likely not even be tendered an offer for return, he's to high risk and has shown that he's not the player he was 3 years ago(pre concussion).

Clutterbuck could possibly be a sign and trade depending on what he's asking for and/or what the Fletch feels is a fair contract.

Cullen is really the most irreplaceable as the 2nd line center. He was the offensive catalyst for this team and most likely will be too expensive for the Wild to hang on to with the re-signing of Backs.

As far as Backstrom returning... It's good for the Wild, but Yeo needs to seriously start phasing in the younger goal tenders this coming season. Let's face it, Backstrom has probably one more decent season in him and anything beyond that is a bonus. This move by fletcher was if nothing else, peace of mind. They had no real options outside of Nik. But it's time to start figuring out who the future net minder for the Wild is going to be.

Harding (MS or not) is never going to be a starter in my mind. Good back up, but has not proven he's got what it takes to play 60+ games a season.