Wild finally have money in free agency, but players are in short supply

The Wild finally have money to spend, but stock is running low.

How ironic, right?

They were strapped for cash during the costliest years of the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts, including nearly $15 million in each of the past two seasons, but now those payments have dropped to a nominal amount. Add in a significant increase to the NHL salary cap, and the Wild’s windfall was almost a whopping $18 million before they acquired Vladimir Tarasenko on Monday in a trade with Detroit.

But a shopping spree when NHL free agency begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday may not be on deck: This year’s class of free agents isn’t as strong, with many top players already signed by their current teams, and plenty of clubs have more cap space than the Wild.

Instead, the new budget could come in handy during the season, giving them the ability to adjust on the fly and make the kind of impactful change that was a pipe dream when the Wild were penny-pinching.

“We’re coming out of these empty cap hits, but it’s not just for July 1,” President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin said. “The good thing about it is we can be flexible moving forward. There are trades that were happening in-season or at the deadline, bigger things than we did that we couldn’t get involved in because of our empty cap hits.

“Those are gone now, so going forward we’ll be able to be in those discussions without any restrictions.”

While this may not lead to the splash the Wild were expected to make this summer, it’s a sage strategy.

Some of the most intriguing names, like Warroad’s Brock Nelson (Colorado), Stanley Cup playoffs MVP Sam Bennett (Florida) and veteran center Matt Duchene (Dallas) didn’t even get to free agency; they re-signed with the teams they already play for, upping the competition for who’s left.

Rather than overcommitting to someone who may not even be their top choice, the Wild could be patient and wait to add once the games begin; their overhaul might even be next summer, when a different crop of players hits the open market.

“We don’t want to make mistakes,” Guerin said. “Look, if the guys are there that we want or like, we’ll do it. But moving forward, we’ll be able to be involved in other things, and that to me is just as important or more important than July 1.”

Still, the Wild aren’t keeping their wallet shut.

They brought in Tarasenko for $4.75 million, addressing their need for scoring help on the wing with the two-time Stanley Cup champion who had 11 goals with the up-and-down Red Wings last season but finished with 23 two seasons ago on a much better Florida team. Detroit received future considerations.

Last month, the Wild re-signed veteran winger Marcus Johansson to a team-friendly $800,000 for one season, a deal that includes a no-movement clause.

Guerin wants to improve the depth in net and on the defense, which could start the season without Jonas Brodin after he underwent surgery for a wear-and-tear upper-body issue.

As for a center who can win faceoffs and kill penalties, Guerin anticipates a player who can fill that position being available, with the team having nearly $13 million in cap space.

Before Monday’s deadline, the Wild made qualifying offers to Marco Rossi and Michael Milne to retain their negotiation rights.

Iowa forwards Graeme Clarke, Adam Raska and Luke Toporowski and defenseman Ryan O’Rourke were not qualified and will become free agents.

The Wild have fielded interest for Rossi, the one-time top center who was demoted to the fourth line in the playoffs.

Both sides have swapped proposals, and while Rossi can’t elect for arbitration, he could sign an offer from another team. But the Wild believe they’d have the cap space to match the deal.

“This funny narrative out there that I — we — don’t like him, that’s not the case,” Guerin said. “We like Marco. He’s a good player.”

Another negotiation that could take time is a contract extension for Kirill Kaprizov that would kick in when his current five-year, $45 million deal expires after next season.

The superstar scorer can sign as soon as Tuesday and for as long as eight years. Guerin doesn’t envision it getting finalized that quickly, but he remains confident it’ll get done.

“So, if it doesn’t happen on July 1, don’t panic,” he said. “Don’t panic. It’s a process.”