Wild’s Best Contracts for 2025-26

When he’s healthy, Brodin is worth every single penny of that contract and then some, which is why it’s one of the best contracts on the team. He’s easily their best defensive defenseman, and he doesn’t get much credit for that fact. The crazy thing is, even when he’s injured, as long as he plays during the season, he’s worth his money. Playing half the season doesn’t sound worth $6 million a year, but Brodin is a special case because of how strong his defense is.

Hopefully, after this offseason, he’ll come back healthy, refreshed, and ready to play a full 82-game schedule or at least 70+. They have him under contract for three more seasons, including 2025-26, and it would be great to see what he can do when healthy. 

4. Matt Boldy: $7 Million AAV 

Matt Boldy is another player whose contract feels heavy at times, but for the most part, it’s been a team-friendly deal compared to others around the league. He’s steadily improved his points from season to season since he started, but what’s the most difficult to accept about Boldy is that he struggles to find consistency during the season. Again, he’s worked to fix that, but in the past, he’s had troubles stepping up when they needed him most. 

This past season was the first out of the past four that he played in all 82 games, and he also reached new highs in assists and points. He recorded 46 assists and 73 points, and both of those stats led the team. He’s shown he has the ability to lead, and hopefully, he can find ways to do that over the next five seasons they have him under contract. 

At $7 million, he’s quite the steal if he can continue to put up points the way he has been. If he continues to have issues with consistency, then that money may not look so good, but for now, he still has time to work that out. At his pace, this contract could turn out to be a great one for the Wild because his next one may be a bit steeper if he becomes the player they know he can be. 

3. Ryan Hartman: $4 Million AAV

After what fans saw in the postseason, Ryan Hartman’s newest $4 million contract looks like a great deal for the Wild, but many weren’t sure if this contract was going to be worth it in the beginning. His past contract was a very team-friendly at $1.7 million, and with the suspensions he had, it was good they didn’t have him at a higher value until this past season, when his new contract went into effect. 

He did have a suspension this past season that made it seem like the Wild were going to try and trade him if he didn’t get his act together. However, he did figure it out and played smart hockey the rest of the regular season, and he found another level in the postseason that put him on the top line. 

He played in 69 games this past season and registered just 26 points which was less than expected but in the playoffs he had six points in six games played. He showed his true potential and as said before, he showed he is worth that $4 million contract. Hopefully he can find a way to continue to elevate his game and make this contract look even stronger. 

2. Filip Gustavsson: $3.75 Million AAV

Filip Gustavsson only has this coming season left on his contract, and while many were skeptical when the Wild first traded Cam Talbot for him, Gustavsson’s proven his worth. He’s had his fair share of ups and downs along with inconsistencies, but he found his way through them and earned his contract. 

While some may not consider him worth the contract he has, after his performance this past season, he showed he can handle himself in high-pressure situations, and in the postseason, he continued to stand tall. It’s hard to find a strong goaltender, and the Wild were fortunate enough to have not one but a tandem of good goaltenders. Now with Marc-André Fleury retiring, that tandem is splitting up, and Gustavsson will have to find a way to step up again. 

He’ll be the mentor for Jesper Wallstedt, and he’ll earn his contract even more if he can maintain being the number one goaltender while also being the veteran presence Wallstedt needs. The Wild were able to get a team-friendly contract for this season, yet after this, it’ll be interesting to see what numbers Gustavsson can earn. 

1. Brock Faber: $8.5 Million AAV

Few players can make an impact on a lineup like Brock Faber has. He’s been worth every penny since he joined the lineup back in 2022-23, and he’s continued to get better every game he plays. Many likely think he’s too young, at just 22 years old, to have a contract worth $68 million, but he’s successfully defended against veterans of all ages, including Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and others. 

This past season, he was still under his entry-level contract that was worth $2.78 million over three years, and now this coming season, his new $68 million contract will take effect. He’s a strong, capable defenseman who plays smart and has the ability to shoot the puck and produce offensively. 

He’ll likely be one of the future captains of the team in years to come, if not the main captain after Jared Spurgeon is done. He’s one of the players they are building their future around, and they’re lucky to have him on their roster. Defensemen like Faber are hard to come by, and when they find them, they don’t come cheap, so the Wild got lucky when they locked him down. 

Wild Have Good Contracts

While these are considered the Wild’s top contracts, they’ve been lucky enough to have some strong contracts, despite the trouble with the buyouts. They’ve signed team-friendly deals, and while some haven’t worked out, many have. Now they just have to get Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi signed, as those are deals they’ve wanted to get done this offseason.