The Minnesota Wild were active as soon as free agency opened up on Wednesday. Signing both defenseman Alex Goligoski and forward Frederick Gaudreau for the NHL roster, but they still have significant holes to fill that were left vacant by free agents walking away to bigger opportunities.
Ian Cole was a quasi angel when he was acquired mid-season last year for Greg Pateryn, stabilizing the bottom pairing with Carson Soucy and letting the top-four have some backup and support. Well, they’re both gone now — Soucy to Seattle in expansion and Cole signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday.