Cap Squeeze

Team: 2023-24 Minnesota Wild

Initial Creation Date: Jul. 31, 2022

Published: Jul. 31, 2022

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I expect the cap to rise another million come 23-24. Yay.

Anyway, this year will prove to be quite difficult but with the right moves, we can get together a surprisingly competitive team. This squad might actually go far in the wide-open West. Or maybe I'm just an optimistic Wild-fan. Who knows.

Boldy - A similar deal to Kucherov. A three-year bridge. Kucherov got 4,7 million, but the cap has risen since so about 5 is good. The deal expires at the same time as Kaprizov's which is not ideal but whatever.

Addison - A prove it deal that has the potential to be a steal in the 2nd year. It also makes sense for Addison, who gets his first one-way deal. Also, the maximum amount of savings when burying a contract is 1,15 million in 2023-24, so Addison essentially guarantees a playing spot in the big league with this deal.

Duhaime - A great depth piece signed to a contract that won't become a problem. Duhaime is a warm body and that's basically all he will be asked to be.

Hörnqvist - An experienced, gritty and well-liked guy that is a great net-front presence and can take up minutes if the kids aren't ready. The term takes all the risk away from this signing.

Let Dumba and Kulikov walk (unless traded before that). We have to save cap and they won't be a part of our long-term future. Gaudreau is a nice middle-six guy, but won't repeat his 45 points. We'll give him a slight raise.

Lambos, Yurov, O'Rourke and many other prospects will be on the cusp this year. I'm not an expert, but I'd expect some of them taking strides and grabbing a spot. Something unexpected always comes up.