The Minnesota Wild announced today that they’ve signed Jujhar Khaira to a one-year, two-way contract. His 2023-24 contract is worth $775,000 for NHL play and $300,000 for AHL play. According to Cap Friendly, signing this contract shrinks the Wild’s cap space to approximately $868,079. He will wear No. 16 on his sweater.
At 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds, Khaira plays center. The Wild have been desperately needing center depth, and Khaira provides that along with a good physical size. While he doesn’t contribute much pointwise, Khaira is great on the penalty kill. He’s also played wing, so is versatile on the ice.
Khaira was selected 60th overall (third round) by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Draft. He played in the WHL and AHL before getting his shot with the Oilers. When he debuted on Oct. 28, 2015, he became the third player of Punjabi descent to play in the NHL. After playing for Edmonton for six seasons, Khaira signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for two seasons.
Last season, Khaira played 51 games with the Blackhawks. He came away with 14 points, 6 goals, and 8 assists. Previously Khaira’s career year was the 2017-18 season with the Oilers. During 69 games, he put up 21 points, 11 goals, and 10 assists. His seasons with the Oilers were more prolific than his seasons with the Blackhawks, but that is due to the fact that Chicago has been working on a rebuild. His faceoff percentage last season was 48.4%, which is on par with other bottom six centers.
While Khaira adds depth to the Wild’s team, the lineup has seemed somewhat set for a few months. One question will be where Khaira will slot in. He did sign a two-way contract, so there’s also a chance that he could start the season with the Iowa Wild instead.
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