The Minnesota Wild crossed off an item on their summer to-do list on Friday, signing center Joel Eriksson Ek to a massive eight-year, $42-million contract.
Among the Wild fan base, everyone was either overjoyed at the two-way center and future Selke Trophy finalist, staying in Minnesota for as long as he possibly can, the contract expiring when he is 32 years old. It certainly helped for him to cash in on this new deal after scoring a career-high 19 goals and 30 points through 56 games last season, but it is also the other end of the ice that makes him so effective and valuable to a team overall.