Wild sign remaining RFA player to one-year deal

The Minnesota Wild have finalized a deal for their final remaining RFA, signing defenseman Calen Addison to a one-year contract worth $825K.

Addison had three goals and 29 points in his first full NHL season last year, with his 26 assists being the most by a Wild rookie in franchise history. 

A power-play stalwart, Addison had 18 assists on the man advantage to make him one of the more effective freshmen with extra space. In 80 career games with the Wild, Addison has 33 points.

Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, Addison was acquired by the Wild in 2020 alongside forward Alex Galchenyuk and the pick that turned out to be Carson Lambos in a deal that sent Jason Zucker to Pittsburgh.

The 23-year-old was also a high-output producer in the AHL, registering 58 points in 77 games over three seasons. Before turning pro, Addison was a standout with the WHL’s Lethbridge Hurricanes. He made it onto the WHL east’s first all-star team in 2020, just months after winning gold with Canada at the world juniors. He also took home gold at the 2017 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and silver at the U-17 World Challenge the year before.

With Addison signed, the Wild have $43,079 in projected cap space for 2023-24, according to CapFriendly. That includes a group with 13 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies, as well as over $14M in dead cap space due to the buyouts of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter.

Addison will likely start the year on the third pairing alongside Jacob Middleton, with the Wild looking to make its mark as a serious contender come playoff time. The only defenseman that is waivers exempt is Brock Faber, but he’ll likely challenge for a top-four spot this year. 

The Wild will play their first pre-season game on Sept. 27 against Colorado before starting the regular season on Oct. 12 against the Florida Panthers.

The only remaining RFAs on the board are Anaheim’s Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale, as well as Ottawa’s Shane Pinto.