As soon as Matt Boldy signed his seven-year, $49-million contract we were overjoyed. Almost every single hockey and Minnesota Wild fan could recognize that they are securing the talent of a very good player for a long time. But as the days went on since Monday’s transaction, we now understand that we have to come to grips that this might mean some short-term discomfort.
Since it wasn’t the expected bridge deal with Boldy — which would have carried a cap hit of around $4 to $5 million instead of the $7 million his new extension does — the budget for the next two years (because of the infamous Suter and Parise buyouts) gets a little bit tighter.