The Minnesota Wild have taken care of one of their largest tasks this summer, having signed center Joel Eriksson Ek to an eight-year, $42-million contract ($5.25 million AAV) on Friday.
This is the first time the Wild have made use of the right to sign a player to an eight-year extension since the rule has been implemented by the NHL and certainly used it for a player that can determine their long-term success.
Eriksson Ek, 24, has been one of the best defensive forwards in the league for the last few years and saw an explosion of offense this season, scoring a career-high 19 goals and 30 points in 56 games played.