Minnesota Wild Re-Sign Nate Prosser to a 2-Year Deal

Simply put, this deal doesn't make any sense at all. None. Here's why:

1. Prosser Offers No Upside

We know what Nate Prosser gives you. We've seen it for the last 4 seasons. Prosser will be an OK defender, a fine penalty killer, but a non-factor offensively. He's also 29, meaning that in all likelihood, there aren't going to be any major improvements in Prosser's game.

2. Two Years for Prosser is Unacceptable

There's nothing wrong with signing a replacement-level player- teams are always going to need some extra depth. But most deals with such players are short-term and flexible. There's a reason for that- since you can find these players quite easily, you don't have to make a big commitment to any one of them.

Again, Prosser himself proves this. Prosser wanted to get a one-way deal with the Wild last summer, and the Wild refused. When Prosser signed with St. Louis, it was on a two-way deal. A player of his caliber doesn't warrant more than a short-term, cheap commitment.

The money's irrelevant. Inherently, committing to Prosser for longer than you have to is just bad business, especially considering...

3. Prosser Will Block Better Players

Even on a one-way deal, it's not hard to bury $625 K in the minors, so this may not be a big deal. But if the Wild treat Prosser as a part of their team for the long-term, rather than a fine 7th defenseman option, then there's potential to do harm, cheap cap hit be damned.