Defensive-minded center Nico Sturm will return to Wild in free agency

The Wild are officially done being handcuffed by the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts … even if they didn’t spend like it.

Just like the last few years, when their budget was down nearly $15 million to cover the cost of cutting ties with Parise and Suter in 2021, the Wild shopped meticulously in NHL free agency on Tuesday by sticking to their need: a defensive center. They added Nico Sturm, who returned to the Wild for a second stint on a two-year, $4 million contract.

But this wasn’t a case of old habits die hard.

Without any bona fide attractions available, and considering the allure of having the salary cap room to make a seismic in-season trade, the team saved its swing for the chance to hit a future home run.

“I hope it does come along,” President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. “I’m sure it will. You never think certain level players are going to move, but in the past you’ve seen it.”

Guerin mentioned the in-season trades for stars like Mikko Rantanen, Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Eichel in recent years. “Big players end up moving, and it’s just a matter of being able to be involved in that stuff.

“Now, I don’t know if we’ll end up getting one or doing something. But we want to, and we just gotta be patient and make sure we do the right thing.”

League-wide teams shelled out less money than in other offseasons.

Since most of the top free agents stayed put, re-signing with their current employers, replacement options were slim, and transformative makeovers were few and far between.

“It was a very different year,” Guerin said, but the Wild weren’t left empty-handed.

Sturm reunites with the Wild as a much different player than when he left three years ago.

He’s won two Stanley Cups, first with Colorado after getting traded by the Wild to the Avalanche in 2022 for Tyson Jost, and then this year with Florida. In between, he had his best NHL season with San Jose in 2022-23 when he set career highs in goals (14), assists (12) and points (26).

“Just bringing that winning experience back to the team is invaluable,” Guerin said. “It was good for Nico to go out, play a couple other places, see what’s out there, see what he could do, and then I think he really realizes what he is. I think that’s really important.

“He knows how important his role is to the team, and he takes a lot of pride in that, too. Really excited to have him back.”

First signed by the Wild as an undrafted free agent out of Clarkson University in 2019, Sturm thought he might become more than a specialist when he left for Colorado.

“Turns out this is what I’m good at,” he said.

Aside from being a well-versed penalty killer who’s familiar with multiple systems, Sturm’s career 56.5% on faceoffs is better than anyone’s average on the Wild last season; the Wild had the third-worst PK in the league and were fourth-to-last on draws.

“This is my career in the NHL, and I’m happy with that,” said Sturm, who called rejoining the Wild a full-circle moment. “But it just takes time. It takes games. It takes people to figure out who you are, what kind of mold you fit.”

After the trade from the Wild, Sturm spent his offseasons in Minnesota.

He and his fiancée Taylor Turnquist have a home in Minneapolis, but Sturm will be returning to his native Germany for his day with the Stanley Cup in August. The 30-year-old will also have to choose a new jersey number since the seven he wore last go-round is now occupied by Brock Faber.

“A great day for me to come back to a team that allowed me to have an NHL career in the first place,” said Sturm, who’s on Germany’s preliminary roster for next year’s Winter Olympics.

Even with Sturm back in the mix, the arrival of veteran Vladimir Tarasenko and the expected influx of youth from the likes of Danila Yurov, Zeev Buium and David Jiricek, the Wild look similar to last season’s lineup that started strong before injuries took a toll and the team lost in the first round of the playoffs.

But Guerin feels the Wild are capable of improving.

“We have good players,” he said. “We have players who have been with us for a number of years. Last year, the first half of the year showed that we can be very good, and I think with the guys that we added, we can be even better.”