Boldy Became A Shining Light After Guerin Took A Shot In the Dark On Him

January 16th, 2023.

That was the day a 21-year-old Matt Boldy signed a new seven-year, $49 million deal to stay in Minnesota through the 2029-30 season. Boldy signed his contract extension during the middle of a season in which he scored 31 goals and ended his second season with 63 points. 

Bill Guerin handed this contract to a player who had only played 81 games. At the time, Wild fans were not happy with the Boldy deal. They claimed it was too soon, an overpay, and the Wild were only digging a deeper hole into cap hell. 

It’s been 667 days since Boldy signed his extension. In that time, Boldy is second on the team with 119 points. Only Kirill Kaprizov has more points and goals. 

Boldy's scoring average increased minimally from his sophomore to junior seasons, from 63 to 69. It also appears that the 23-year-old has reached another level this year. 

The former first-round pick is playing some of his best hockey. Over the past 11 games, Boldy has four game-winners, seven goals, and 11 points, including a huge game-tying goal against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. 

“He’s got that confidence in himself, almost like a swagger,” Wild defender Jake Middleton said. “Well, it is a swagger. He wants the puck. He’s always calling for it when he’s open, and [Boldy is] gonna take pucks to areas to try and score goals, like that one he took — I think it went crossbar, post — just before he scored. Those kinds of plays are what he’ll do. He’ll put the team on his back and try to create something and make it happen.”

Boldy’s winner was the ultimate example. 

It was an exclamation point on a strong start for the Milford, Mass. native. After a Hart trophy-caliber season from Kaprizov, Boldy is playing the best hockey of his career. If Boldy continues to score at this pace, he’ll end the season with 49 goals and 87 points. 

“I always want to score,” Boldy said. “The more games I’ve played, another season in the books last year, more games at Worlds, you just learn how to do it, I think. It’s so hard. Guys are so good. 

“There’s no one on the ice in this league that doesn’t bring something to the table that they’re really good at. You just find different ways to do it. I think I’ve just learned alternative routes to scoring goals and where to be and when to call for pucks and win battles and stuff like that.”

Boldy is making his $7 million AAV look like good value for the Wild. Boldy is tied for fourth in the NHL in goals with nine, and 106 players make more money than Boldy does per year. Boldy is the third highest-paid player behind Kaprizov and captain Jared Spurgeon. He’s in Year 2 of his contract with the Wild. 

At the time of the deal, Boldy already had a market value of $7 million. Now, with increased production, he’s already generated meaningful value:

Now, the Wild have a superstar on a contract that pays him pennies on the dollar for his production and impact on the Wild. Boldy is only going to get better. Playing with Eriksson Ek and Johansson allows him to be the go-to goal scorer for his line. 

Boldy only gets better when playing with the more highly skilled players on the Wild. At the end of Sunday's game against the Hawks, Boldy was centering Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello, and that line ended up tying the game on Boldy's late-period goal. 

“Boldy was going. Kirill and Zuc were away from each other for a little bit, and then they’re back together,” John Hynes said. “I thought Boldy had some jam in the third period, and sometimes you just get a feel of different guys, and they were good.”

That production also translates to the power play. Boldy leads the team with four powerplay goals, and seven of his 16 points have come on the man advantage. Boldy keeps the puck moving and helps stir a powerplay tied for 11th in the NHL this season. 

Some fans reeled when the Wild announced they had extended Boldy. However, Guerin knew what he had in his budding superstar, and his gamble had now officially paid off. 

All stats and data via HockeyDB, Evolving Hockey, Cap Wages, MoneyPuck, and Natural Stat Trick unless otherwise noted.