Last season, the Iowa Wild struggled as their veterans were continually pulled up to Minnesota to fill the significant holes due to injury. One priority of Bill Guerin’s on Free Agency Day is to beef up Iowa’s lineup with veteran players who are also able to be pulled up to Minnesota if necessary.
Travis Boyd, a Minnesota native and former Golden Gopher hockey player, signed a one-year, two-way contract. Boyd has played 296 NHL games and spent the past 3 years with the Arizona Coyotes. Boyd is a 30-year-old right winger. His contract has a $775k cap hit for NHL games and a guarantee of $550k for AHL games. Boyd is an energetic forward who drives to the net and has been a goal scorer, at points in his career.
Devin Shore also signed a one-year, two-way contract. Shore has played 443 NHL games over 9 seasons. He spent last season with the Seattle Kraken, playing 21 games and putting up 4 points (1 goal and 3 assists) along with 4 penalty minutes. Shore is a 29-year-old center. His contract is similar to Boyd’s with a $775k cap hit for NHL games and a guarantee of $450k. Boyd is a reliable skater who wins faceoffs and is a successful part of the penalty kill.
Both Boyd and Shore will play mostly in Iowa but are two reliable players who can be pulled up to fill in for any injuries Minnesota players might sustain.
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