Minnesota Wild Sign Eric Staal to Two-Year Contract Extension

The Minnesota Wild have had a busy day, starting with the news that Mikael Granlund had been traded and ending with news of a contract extension for Eric Staal.

According to NHL.com, Wild Center Eric Staal and the team agreed on a two-year, $6.5 million contract extension.  The contract will pay Staal $3.5 million in 2019-20 and $3 million in 2020-21.  This allows the team to hang on to a reliable player:

Staal, 34, owns 41 points (18-23=41) including five power-play goals (PPG), five game-winning goals (GWG) and 170 shots on goal in 62 games with Minnesota this season. He ranks T-1st on the team in GWG, second in goals and shots, third in scoring, T-3rd in PPG (5), T-4th in multi-point games (10) and fifth in assists. The 6-foot-4, 207-pound native of Thunder Bay, Ont., skated in his 1,100th NHL game on Oct. 19 and recorded his 400th career goal on Nov. 3. He led the Wild with 76 points (42-34=76) in 82 games during the 2017-18 season, recording the fourth 70-point plus season in franchise history and first since 2009-10

The Wild are still in a playoff race and appear to be trying keep up a fight while still setting themselves up for necessary roster moves in upcoming seasons.