After an entire offseason of very little movement from the Minnesota Wild aside from a couple of depth forward signings, they have signed both Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Foligno to extensions just five hours apart. Some initial whisperings began a week ago that talks had started between the team and the upcoming unrestricted free agents (UFA), but they wasted no time in sealing both of the deals. Despite money being hard for the Wild to find, they made sure that the pair of veteran leaders knew they would be around long-term.
Zuccarello Takes a Pay Cut
The 36-year-old veteran winger will take a pay cut from his current $6 million average annual value (AAV) after signing on to stay with the Wild for two more seasons at an AAV of $4.125 million with a full no-move clause. The playmaking winger has managed to reject all notions of diminishing play as he ages, as he continues to collect points on a nearly nightly basis on the Wild’s top line with Ryan Hartman and Kirill Kaprizov.
So why did the Wild feel like they needed to get the extension done right now? Well, his friendship and chemistry with Kaprizov is something most teams wish some of their top players would be able to achieve. The young Russian superstar has developed a camaraderie with the veteran Norwegian that has elevated both of them to new heights. That friendship, along with his young family, has likely played a big role in convincing him to stay in Minnesota, even if that means he is making less money than he could elsewhere.
Any team in the NHL would be ecstatic with a player making $4.125 million producing at the level that Zuccarello does, but on top of that, he has become a critical piece of the Wild’s locker room. At no point during the upcoming 2023-24 season was his value going to go any lower than the $4.125 million they signed him at, and he was obviously viewed as an irreplaceable component of what the Wild view as a winning team. This is a fantastic extension for the Wild.
Foligno Gets a Raise
If there was a complete opposite of Zuccarello on the Wild, it would be Marcus Foligno, who has also signed a shiny new deal coming in at an AAV of $4 million for four more years. Where Zuccarello brings points and playmaking, Foligno brings toughness and grit. A team can’t win the Stanley Cup with a roster full of small, playmaking forwards and Foligno is the type of player that every general manager wishes they had when it comes time to hit the postseason.
Assessing Foligno’s value is a lot more difficult than Zuccarello’s, as his game is not completely reliant upon point production. A lot of what the 6-foot-3 power forward offers does not translate directly onto the scoresheet but instead is seen in shutting down the opponents, winning board battles, and opening up space on the ice for his linemates.
“His voice carries some weight, I think when you look (at) guys that bring energy to the team every night, guys that are vocal, guys that are really invested in the team and then carry it out to the ice. He plays an emotional game, he plays a physical game and the big thing is he’s always watching everybody’s back…The leadership part is huge. Guys like (Foligno), there aren’t a ton of them anymore and we feel fortunate to have him in our dressing room.”
Bill Guerin
The Wild look to Foligno as a leader, both on and off the ice, and consider him to be an irreplaceable player. With other big voices like Matt Dumba and Ryan Reaves moving on to other teams, the Wild did not want to risk losing another. Foligno did not have a great 2022-23 campaign, but the hope is that he can regain some of the magic he had during the 2021-22 season, where he set career-high numbers across the board. Even if he can split the difference between the two seasons, this could be another solid contract for the Wild.
Salary Cap Impacts
A lot of Wild fans have become all too aware of the team’s money situation, as the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts have been a topic of discussion for many years now. The buyouts have reached their maximum and as such, leave the team unable to even effectively carry a 13th forward this season. Fortunately, a predicted increase in the salary cap along with a couple of their current contracts expiring leaves the Wild a little bit more room to work with next season.
Related: Wild’s Competitive Window Opens Earlier Than Most Think
As they currently sit with Zuccarello and Foligno’s new extensions, combined with a $4 million increase in the salary cap, the Wild would have just over $16.5 million remaining with a roster of just 14 players. That might not seem like a lot to go around, but the addition of a couple of rookies only making entry-level contract (ELC) money like Jesper Wallstedt, Daemon Hunt, Marat Khusnutdinov and Sammy Walker suddenly gives a roster of 18 players with $12.8 million to throw at the remaining open positions.
Solid Contracts a Wild Specialty
The Wild have been able to stay competitive throughout the buyouts because they have been able to sign great players to great contracts, and these two newest deals are no different. The ability for them to identify players they consider core pieces and lock them in early at a cheap AAV has worked out fairly well for them so far, and there have been no changes that would lead anyone to assume these two are different.
