The Wild hoped to improve its depth through the NHL's free agent signing period, and that's exactly what they accomplished Sunday, first by signing former Dallas defenseman Greg Pateryn on a three-year contract with an average annual value of $2.25 million.
They also signed forwards Eric Fehr, J.T. Brown and Matt Hendricks, and goalie Andrew Hammond. Defenseman Nick Seeler was re-signed to a three-year, one-way deal, and two minor leaguers were added as well.
Pateryn fills out the third defensive pairing on the right side, adding size to the unit along with the ability to kill penalties. The 28-year-old skated in 73 games with the Stars last season, killing penalties and averaging 19 minutes, 37 seconds in ice time while tallying 13 points and finishing a plus-6.
Overall, the 28-year-old has skated in 167 career games with Dallas and Montreal after getting drafted by Toronto in the fifth round in 2008.
The Wild also added veteran center Fehr on a one-year deal worth $1 million to anchor their fourth line.
Fehr split last season between the Maple Leafs and Sharks, closing out the season in San Jose where he ended up with three goals and four points in 14 games. A right shot, Fehr previously played for coach Bruce Boudreau when the two were in Washington.
A goalie who could challenge backup Alex Stalock was also added as Hammond agreed on a two-way contract for one year. Hammond finished last season with the Avalanche organization after starting it with the Senators. In 56 career games, he's 27-15-6 with a .923 save percentage and 2.31 goals-against average.
Hendricks, a former St. Cloud State standout from Blaine, signed a one-year deal worth $700,000, giving the Wild depth at forward. Hendricks spent last season with the Jets, scoring five goals and recording 13 points in 60 games. Like Fehr, he also played for Boudreau with the Capitals.
The Wild also signed Brown, a former Minnesota Duluth standout, to a two-year deal worth $675,000 in Year 1 and $700,000 in Year 2. Brown spent his entire career with the Lightning until getting claimed off waivers last season by the Ducks. In 47 total games, he had two goals and seven points. He is the son of former Vikings running back Ted Brown.
The Wild re-signed restricted free agent Seeler to a three-year, $2.175 million contract. Seeler appeared in 22 games last season with the Wild, impressing after a late-season call-up.
Defenseman Matt Bartkowski also signed a one-year, two-way contract that'll pay him $650,000 in the NHL and $350,000 in the American Hockey League. Forward Mike Liambas agreed to a two-year, two-way contract that'll pay him $650,000 in the NHL and $125,000 in the AHL in the first season and $700,000 in the NHL and $150,000 in the AHL in the second.
Winger Tyler Ennis also cleared unconditional waivers Sunday, finalizing his buyout by the team. This move will free up $2.4 million in cap space for the Wild.
