ST PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild has locked up the team's steadiest stay-at-home defenseman, signing Jonas Brodin to a 7-year contract extension worth $42 million.
Brodin, who plays on the second pair with close friend Matt Dumba, will receive an average of $6 million a year, beginning with the 2021-22 hockey season, and running through 2027-28.
The 27-year-old native of Sweden notched 28 points, a plus-15 rating and 112 blocked shots during the shortened 2019-20 season. He played in his 500th career NHL game vs. St. Louis (Nov. 2) to become the fourth defenseman in franchise history to reach that milestone. Brodin has played in 171 consecutive games for the Wild, the longest active streak on the team.
NHL insiders have speculated that with the Wild's salary cap situation and the upcoming expansion draft to fill out the new Seattle roster, the club could not afford to keep both Dumba and Brodin if the latter was signed to an extension.
Reports have also been rampant that Wild General Manager Bill Guerin would need to move one of the two defensemen in a trade to get a desperately-needed number one center, something the club has sorely lacked for years.