The Minnesota Wild are in a precarious position leading into free agency. With only a few days before the flood gates open, the team finds themselves with an estimated $13.4 million under the cap and plenty of holes to fill. Getting Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter under contract is clearly the priority, but other moves need to be made to get some money off the books to be able to afford anything in free agency.
Part of their problem will come off the books after this season. The buyout of Thomas Vanek will cost the team $2.